Gold medalist Oh Ye Jin (C) of South Korea, silver medalist Kim Yeji (L) of South Korea and bronze medalist Manu Bhaker of India pose for photos during the awarding ceremony after the 10m air pistol women's final of shooting at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Chateauroux, France, on July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
CHATEAUROUX, France, July 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's Oh Ye-jin set new Olympic record in the women's 10m air pistol event to win gold at the Paris Games here on Sunday.
Oh scored 243.2 points in the final, improving the Olympic record by 2.9 points. Her teammate Kim Ye-ji, who notched up 241.3 points, also beat the previous record of 240.3 to grab silver. Manu Bhaker from India took the bronze with 221.7 points.
"I still cannot believe I'm wearing a gold medal on my neck right now," Oh said. "It is my first Olympics, and I felt big pressure, but I tried to enjoy it and relax. I think I did a good job, so I am very happy about it."
The two South Korean shooters were leading the rest of the finalists after the first stage and exchanged leads thereafter. An opening 9.4 in the penultimate series saw Kim drop to third, but she came back with a 10.5 to eliminate Bhaker by 0.1 point and book a one-one duel with compatriot Oh in the final series, where Oh excelled with a 10.0 and a 10.6 compared to two sub-10s by Kim.
Bhaker is the first Indian female shooter to win an Olympic medal. Her bronze medal is also the first medal for India at the Paris Olympics.
The 22-year-old said she dedicated the medal to her family, friends and "all the people who were looking forward to the Paris Olympics and everyone who had faith in us."
"The medal means a lot to me. I'm really grateful for this medal. I'm really grateful that I was the medium to win this medal for the country," said Bhaker.
The 2018 youth Olympic champion will also compete in 10m air pistol mixed team and 25m pistol in the following days.
"I hope that India finishes strong and win as many medals as possible in shooting and in other events as well," she said.
China's Li Xue and Jiang Ranxin both reached the final, finishing fifth and sixth respectively. ■
Oh Ye Jin of South Korea reacts during the 10m air pistol women's final of shooting at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Chateauroux, France, on July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
Oh Ye Jin of South Korea competes during the 10m air pistol women's final of shooting at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Chateauroux, France, on July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
Gold medalist Oh Ye Jin of South Korea reacts during the awarding ceremony after the 10m air pistol women's final of shooting at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Chateauroux, France, on July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
