Lim Sihyeon on July 25 takes a photo in front of her target after setting a world-record 694 points in the women's archery individual ranking round of the Paris Summer Olympics at Les Invalides in the French capital.

By Kim Hyelin
Photos = Yonhap News

The national team for the Paris Summer Olympics has made news even before the opening ceremony, with Lim Sihyeon setting a world record in women's archery and the women's handball squad rallying to beat Germany.

Lim on July 25 scored 694 points to take first place in the ranking round at Les Invalides in Paris.

The round has each competitor shoot a combined 72 shots from a distance of 70 m to determine the rankings and decide who advances to the finals and the matchups.

Lim's teammates Nam Suhyeon placed second with 688 points and Jeon Hunyoung 13th with 664. Their team topped the group competition with 2,046.

For the men, all three members ranked within the top five in their round.

Kim Woojin's 686 points were good for No. 1, followed by runner-up Kim Je Deok with 682 and Lee Woo Seok fifth with 681. As a team, they won the round with 2,049.

The Korea Archery Association offers the right to compete in mixed events to the male and female archers with the highest scores in the ranking round. This allows Lim and Kim to vie for the triple crown of the individual, team and mixed events.

In women's handball, the only ball sport team Korea qualified for in the Paris Olympics, the national squad on July 25 beat European powerhouse Germany, 23-22, in the first match of Group A at South Paris Arena 6.

Korea led by one at halftime and fell four goals behind in the second half, but eventually rallied for the win.

The team on July 28 plays Slovenia in its second group match.

Women's handball player Kang Kyungmin on July 25 celebrates after scoring with teammate Kang Eunhye in the second half of the team's first Group A match against Germany at South Paris Arena 6 in the French capital.