Legally blind archer sets world record

LONDON, July 27 (UPI) -- A legally blind South Korean archer became the first world record setter of the London 2012 Olympics during the men's ranking round.

Im Dong-hyun, 26, broke his own 72-arrow record of 696 by scoring three points more and together with his team, Kim Bubmin and Oh Jin-hyek, registered a 216-arrow record of 2,087 points, 18 points over the world record, ITV reported Friday.

Im won gold medals in the team event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, The Daily Telegraph reported.

"With my vision, when I look at the target, it looks as if different color paints have been dropped in water," he said. "The boundaries are not that clear and the lines between the colors are very blurred."

Im said he aims by pinpointing the right colors and the "feel" of the shot.

"I've practiced using glasses before but actually it makes me feel less comfortable when I shoot," he said. "When I look down the range at the target all I can do is try to distinguish between the different colors. If I couldn't see the colors, now that would be a problem."