Chopsticks and Kimchi 'Secret Weapons' for South Korea's Olympic Success

South Korea has some secrets for success when it comes to archery at the Olympics.

The coach of the country's national female archery team says that using chopsticks and making kimchi were two things that helped them win their events.

In South Korea, people usually eat with metal chopsticks. These are more tricky than the wooden chopsticks used in other Asian countries.

[Baek Woong-ki, Coach, South Korea's Archery Team]:
"Some medical experts call it 'chopstick skills.' It's true. Our athletes have an incredible sense of touch in their fingers. They tend to know where the arrow will hit, the moment it leaves their hands."

Kimchi is the country's traditional dish, a pickled and peppered cabbage, which requires delicate hand work to prepare.       

[Baek Woong-ki, Coach, South Korea's Archery Team]:
"When Korean women cook, it's as if their hands are giving the food more flavor or taste. It can be applied to our sport in the same mechanism. Our athletes have sensitive fingers enabling them to sense delicate touches, which are inherited from tradition."       

A female cook at a local restaurant also supported the coach's theory.

[Lee Tae-boon, Cook at Korean Restaurant]:       
"I think the result of our archery game was good because we have kimchi in our country that we make very delicately by hand. Also, most Korean dishes require delicate hand work to make them. I think that is why our archery team won the game."

South Korea won the Olympic women's team archery title for the seventh consecutive time on Sunday, after beating China in the final.

The South Korean team used 24 arrows to score 210 points, to beat the Chinese by a single point. Each arrow can score a maximum of 10 points by hitting the center of a target 70 meters away.