Unheralded teen pistol shooter delivers 2nd gold medal for Korea

Oh Ye-jin of Korea celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women's 10-meter air pistol shooting at the Paris Olympics at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, France, July 28. Yonhap

Only six years after picking up pistol shooting, Oh Ye-jin, still just 19 years old, can call herself an Olympic champion.

Oh’s gold medal Sunday in the women’s 10-meter air pistol at the Paris Olympics is as unlikely as any Olympic medal for Korea in recent memory. The teenager came in ranked No. 35 in the world in the 10m air pistol, with a decidedly unimpressive track record.

On this day at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, south of Paris, Oh showcased the kind of mettle often reserved for seasoned Olympians, as she held off her teammate Kim Ye-ji by 1.9 points for the gold and the new Olympic record of 243.2 points.

Not many people would have given Oh much of a chance to even reach the final, let alone win a medal, but Oh said afterward she never had a doubt.

Asked if she thought she could perform this well, Oh said, without missing a beat: “Absolutely. I knew I was going to do well.”

“I know I am still very young, but I was able to really show what I am capable of,” Oh added.

In the final, the eight shooters each started with 10 shots, fired across two series of five shots with the perfect scoring being 10.9. After that, 추천 single shots were fired, and the worst remaining shooter after every two shots was eliminated.

Oh and Kim went back and forth in the elimination stage, with Manu Bhaker, the eventual bronze medalist, trying to spoil the Korean party.

After letting Kim move to the top early, Oh battled back in the latter portion of the final, hitting a couple of 10.6s. After Kim fended off Bhaker to set up an all-Korean showdown for the gold, Oh hit another 10.6 with her final shot to lock down the gold.

“Before the final shot, I was so nervous that my pistol kept shaking,” Oh said. “But I was able to hold it steady at the very moment when I pulled the trigger. As soon as I fired, I knew I had done it.”

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