Paris Olympics 2024: Korea's Yang Jiin shoots her way to gold in women's 25m pistol

The 21-year-old was the youngest shooter among the finalists in the event at Paris Olympics 2024.

Yang Jiin of the Republic of Korea defeated home athlete Camille Jedrzejewski in a shoot-off to earn gold in a 25m pistol final that also required a shoot-off for bronze, with Hungary’s Veronika Major frustrating Manu Bhaker of India’s hopes of earning a third Paris Olympics 2024 medal. Yang Jiin, 21, who twice scored a world record of 41 earlier this year, led from the second round.

But her 22-year-old French rival drew level with her in the penultimate round and both then scored four out of five in the gold medal round, triggering a shoot-off in which the Korean athlete scored with four of her five efforts while her opponent only managed one hit.

Jedrzejewski looked quietly stricken as she made her pistol safe, while Yang Jiin appeared to be shaking from the nervous tension. It was a denouement that had the fans in the Chateauroux Shooting Centre on their feet.

There had already been high drama as Major, who set the world record at 40 in 2019, had been closely contesting third place with Bhaker in the later stages and drew level at 28-28 to prompt a fourth-place shoot off in which she was victorious by 4-3.

Bhaker looked sombre as she returned to her coach, but she will be able to reflect with pride upon her performance at Paris 2024, where she became the first Indian woman to win a shooting medal as she took bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event with Sarabjot Singh, and then added individual bronze.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Maheshwari Chauhan stays in contention in women’s skeet

It was a welcome return after the frustration she suffered in the Tokyo 2020 Games where a weapon malfunction undermined her medal challenge.

Major thus became the first Hungarian to earn an Olympic shooting medal since the late Diana Igaly won gold in the women’s skeet at Athens 2004.

Yang Jiin, whose world records at the Asian Championships in Jakarta and the Baku World Cup, eclipsed a mark also set by Germany’s Doreen Vennekamp in winning a first world title last year, was herself eclipsed at the Baku World Cup by her 31-year-old compatriot Kim Yeji, who set a new record of 42.

Kim, however, failed to qualify for today’s final after scoring zero with one of her qualification shots after being timed out.

Vennekamp also failed to make the cut, but her training partner, Jedrzejewski, who finished her pre-Olympic competition on a high by winning the European title and Munich World Cup gold, looked well placed to earn material reward from her home Games – and she came so close to making it a golden one.

China’s 20-year-old World Cup Final silver medallist Zhao Nan exited in fifth place, finishing one ahead of Haniyeh Rostamiyan of Iran. Katelyn Abeln of the United States was the first athlete to leave, followed by Vietnam’s Trinh Thu Vinh.

“This gold medal has proved I am the world’s best right now,” Yang Jiin said. “I will have to train harder to try to put the flag highest once again in LA 2028 Olympic Games.”

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram