Olympics: Great Britain Exit in First Round As Korea Punish Italy to Take Gold

It was a day when sevens hurt. They're never a great number in archery but in the men's team competition, they really, really hurt.

First to suffer was Alan Wills. Unlike Simon Terry, who was a teenage bronze medal winner back in Barcelona in 1992, and unlike Larry Godfrey who finished fourth in the individual in Athens, Wills was at his first Olympics. He started well enough in the first-round match against China, but in the final end, and as his team-mates led a dramatic counter with a series of top-scoring tens, Wills landed a seven. And with his last arrow, a six. It meant a quick exit for the British team.

Then, so much later in the day, as Korea and Italy laid on a feast of a gold-medal final, it fell to 20-year old Mauro Nespoli to shoot one final arrow, just like the perfect 10 he had shot in the semi final to beat Ukraine, to put Korea under real pressure.

Korea, led by world champion Im Dong-hyon, had set off on a dead-straight course for the 24-arrow world record of 231. They peppered the very centre of the target with arrows. They could afford to drop eight shots to beat the record; by the half-way mark they had dropped just two.

But then their tens turned to nines and Italy staged a remarkable comeback, led by the defending Olympic champion in the individual event, Marco Galiazzo, who was outstanding all day.

In the third end, Italy scored 59 out of a possible 60. As they went into the fourth and final end there was still a gap; when they each reached for their last arrow each, the scores were tied at 199. Galiazzo scored nine, Ilario di Buo, the 42-year old veteran from Trieste, 10. And then came Nespoli's seven.

Korea, through Im and Lee Chang-hwan went nine then 10. All Park Kyung-mo needed was an eight for victory. Too easy. He sank a nine for Korea's fourth team gold in the last six Olympics.

It was a dramatic final at the end of a competition that provided more tense finishes than in the women's team event. China, on their way to claiming a first-ever medal in the team event, not only overcame a four-point deficit against Russia, they converted it into a four-point lead. The 12th seeds were on their way.

Korea, number one seeds, knocked the hosts out in the semi final, but China claimed bronze against the Ukraine. Not without a scare. Struggling to stay in touch, Ukraine changed their shooting order, swapping main man Viktor Ruban with Markiyan Ivashko.

Suddenly Ukraine were flying and China were having a wobble. It went to the last arrow. Li Wenquan had been having a bit of a personal slump, but stuck his final arrow into the center. Some wobbles lead to recovery; others hurt.