Two South Korean shooters set an Olympic record and claimed gold and silver medals in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event on Sunday.
Oh Ye-jin secured the gold with a score of 243.2, finishing strongly to edge out her teammate and roommate, Kim Ye-ji, who scored 241.3. Oh’s performance was exceptional, with eight of her last nine shots scoring at least 10 points out of a possible 10.9.
“I still cannot believe I’m wearing a gold medal right now, but maybe with time, I’ll come to believe it,” Oh said, tears streaming down her face. “This medal is very heavy, by the way.”
Kim, 31, who is 12 years older than Oh, expressed that it didn’t matter who won gold.
“She is like my youngest sibling, and I always want to care for her and be there for her,” Kim said. “When she won the gold medal, I was extra happy. I do not see her as my rival. At the Olympics, we won gold and silver. We were so proud to be Koreans.”
The bronze medal was awarded to Manu Bhaker of India, who finished with 221.7 points before the gold medal shootout between the two South Korean teammates. This was India’s first medal of any kind at the 2024 Paris Olympics and its first-ever in women’s shooting.
“I have three more events to go, and I hope India finishes strong in these Olympics, winning as many medals as possible, not just in shooting but also in other sports,” Bhaker told reporters.
The previous Olympic record for the women’s 10-meter air pistol final was 240.3, set by Russian shooter Vitalina Batsarashkina in Tokyo three years ago. Batsarashkina is not competing in Paris as she is among the few Russians participating as neutral athletes.
Oh Ye-jin’s gold medal was the first in shooting at the 2024 Olympics to be won by a country other than China, which claimed the first gold of the Games on Saturday and added a second on Sunday in the men’s 10-meter air pistol.
Xie Yu won the gold with a score of 240.9, surpassing two Italian shooters. Federico Nilo Maldini took silver with 240 points, while Paolo Monna, who led midway through the competition, finished in bronze with 218.6 after some costly errors.
“If I hadn’t won, it might have been my biggest regret,” Xie told reporters. “Being selected for China’s Olympic team is very difficult, so standing here today on this higher stage is very significant for me.”