Korea's sport shooters aim for another gold rush in Paris

Not only is Korea’s shooting team the country’s biggest squad headed to Paris, it also spans generations. Its oldest member, Lee Bo-na, made her Olympic debut three years before its youngest member, Ban Hyo-jin, was born.

Kim Ye-ji poses during a media day at the Jincheon Training Center in North Chungcheong on May 27. [YONHAP]

Korea’s largest team heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will see the smallest Korean delegation since 1976, is its sport shooters.

Sixteen athletes will represent Korea across the sport’s 15 competitions as they look to put Korea back on top of the medal table.

And they’ll have to do it without sport shooting legend Jin Jong-oh, the most successful Korean Olympian and the only athlete to win four individual Olympic shooting golds, who retired after failing to medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Korea won the most medals in shooting at the 2012 London Olympics, with three gold and two silver, but has since failed to recreate that record. Korea nabbed two medals in 2016 with Jin’s 50-meter pistol gold and Kim Jong-hyun’s 50-meter rifle prone silver and just one silver medal in 2021 — from Kim Min-jung in women’s 25-meter pistol, where she set a new Olympic record.

Shooting will run from July 27 to Aug. 5 in Paris. A total of 15 sub-categories have medals up for grabs — six men’s, six women’s and three mixed events.

Korea has at least one entry in almost every individual shooting category in Paris, excluding trap men.

Not only is Korea’s sport shooting team the country’s biggest squad headed to Paris, it also has one of the biggest age gaps across the squad. Its oldest member, Lee Bo-na, made her Olympic debut in 2004, three years before its youngest member, Ban Hyo-jin, was born.

Lee, who will be 43 years old when the Olympics begin later this month, is competing in women’s trap, alongside Kang Gee-eun, 33. Lee won bronze in women’s trap and silver in women’s double trap at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Ban, 17, is competing in the women’s 10-meter air rifle event alongside Keum Ji-hyeon, 24, who is also making her Olympic debut.

Im Ha-na and Lee Eun-seo are representing Korea in women’s 50-meter rifle 3-position while Park Ha-jun competes in the men’s contest.

Park is also competing in the men’s 10-meter air rifle with Choe Dae-han.

Cho Young-jae and Kim Ye-ji are the only other two Koreans to be entered in more than one individual event. Both are pistol shooters.

Cho Young-jae at the Jincheon Training Center in North Chungcheong on May 27. [YONHAP]

Cho will compete in the men’s 10-meter air pistol and 25-meter rapid fire pistol, and Kim is in the women’s 10-meter air pistol and 25-meter pistol.

Kim is the current world record holder in women’s 25-meter pistol, earning 42 points in a round at the ISSF World Cup in May.

Athletes entered in two events will begin one of them with a delayed start.

Also representing Korea are Lee Won-ho in men’s 10-meter air pistol, Oh Ye-jin in women’s 10-meter air pistol, Song Jong-ho in men’s 25-meter rapid fire pistol, Yang Ji-in in women’s 25-meter pistol, Kim Min-su in men’s skeet and Jang Kook-hee in women’s skeet.

There are three different weapons — rifle, pistol and shotgun.

For rifle and pistol events, athletes shoot from three different distances: 10, 25 and 50 meters. There are also three positions — kneeling, lying down (prone) and standing.

Rifle and pistol shooting focuses on accuracy, as the shooter’s objective is to hit the bullseye in the center of the target.

Shotgun shooting has a different aim, with athletes attempting to hit flying discs launched from various angles and directions.

Each rifle, pistol, and shotgun has its own caliber, which changes the kind of ammunition used.

The French National Shooting Center at Deols near Chateauroux, central France where the Paris 2024 Olympic Games shooting events will take place [AFP/YONHAP]

Shooters also wear a protective vest to limit the recoil from the gun and make the gun easier to carry and hold. They can also wear glasses that help block out distractions.

Shooting requires the athlete to use relaxation techniques and stay in the same area for hours.

Korea has a total of 17 medals in shooting, including seven gold.

BY MARY YANG AND KEVIN CHUNG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]