South Korean sharpshooter Kim Ye-ji has become a global sensation at the 2024 Olympics, drawing attention with her impressive composure and focused demeanor. During the 10m air pistol final, she competed with a distinctive look—wearing a white cap, shooting glasses, and keeping her hands in her pockets, while maintaining a look of intense concentration throughout the event.
Kim Ye-ji exhibited remarkable calmness, focusing intently on her target without speaking before each shot. Despite briefly slipping to third place and being only 0.1 points behind the second position, she remained steady. The 31-year-old from South Korea scored 10.5 points, surpassing Manu Bakker of India to claim the silver medal.
While Kim Ye-ji kept a serious expression throughout the competition, her demeanor changed once the event concluded. She lit up with a bright smile, waved to the crowd, and looked genuinely elated as she held up her medal. She humorously noted, “I wear a hat when shooting, but now that I’ve taken it off, all I can think about is how messy my hair looks.”
Born on September 4, 1992, Kim Ye-ji is an experienced shooter for South Korea’s national team. Her interest in the sport began in middle school when she visited a shooting range with her physical education teacher, who had prior experience in shooting. Despite considering retirement a decade ago due to a shoulder injury while competing for the Uljin District Office team, Kim Ye-ji made a successful comeback after over a year of recovery and appeared at the Olympics. At the Paris Games, she competed in two events, with her specialty being the 25m air pistol.
Kim Ye-ji’s impressive performance in the 10m air pistol event has sparked renewed interest in her past achievements. A video showcasing her setting a world record in the 25m air pistol event in Baku, Azerbaijan, in May 2024 has garnered over 31 million views on Twitter.
Major news outlets have highlighted Kim Ye-ji’s performance, with BBC Sports calling her “the coolest athlete at this Olympics.” Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented twice on a video of Kim Ye-ji, noting: “She looks like she’s in an action movie” and “No need for acting if the world shooting champion appears in an action film.”
In the video, Kim, donning shooting glasses, draws a gun adorned with the South Korean flag and aims steadily at the target. Her calm and serious expression, even as she sets a new world record, gives her the appearance of an action movie protagonist. Alongside her striking presence, Kim Ye-ji also attracted attention by bringing a cute elephant doll from her young daughter.
According to South Korea’s Chosun, Kim Ye-ji has a 5-year-old daughter in kindergarten. She laughed when asked what she would say if she could talk to her daughter over the phone. Kim Ye-ji smiled warmly and replied, “I think I would say, ‘Honey, Mom feels a bit famous right now.'”
After securing the silver medal in the 10m air pistol event, Kim Ye-ji expressed her strong determination to win a gold medal in the 25m pistol event, which is her forte, on August 2. With a playful glint in her eye, she stated, “I will give my all in the remaining two matches and hopefully show you the gold medal as I promised. I am always confident. I will definitely earn the gold medal. I am truly grateful to those who have supported and believed in me. If you believe in me, Kim Ye-ji will definitely win the gold in the 25m event. I don’t think anyone else will take the gold except me.”
