Korean women bump shooting medal count to two-digits

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Korean women bump shooting medal count to two-digits

Published: 27 Sep. 2023, 13:30 Updated: 27 Sep. 2023, 22:56

Korea takes bronze in the women's 50 meter rifle three positions team contest on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

Korea took bronze in the women’s 50 meter rifle three positions and 25 meter pistol team contests at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Wednesday.

The rifle team of Lee Eun-seo, Bae Sang-hee and Lee Kye-rim together scored 1,756 points, coming behind champion China and India.

Korean shooters Park and Lee take bronze in mixed air rifle

The pistol team of Yang Ji-in, Lana Kim and Sim Eun-ji notched 1,742 points, coming behind champion India and China.

Korea had won a total of 10 shooting medals after the women’s bronze win on Wednesday — two gold, three silver and five bronze.

The tally marked the highest number of medals Korea had so far won from any sport as of press time, making shooting the first sport to reach a two-digit medal count. Swimming and judo, each with nine total medals, followed.

The third-place finishes also marked Korea’s first and second shooting medals in a women’s division at this year’s Asiad.

Rifle shooter Lee, 29, entered the Wednesday rifle competition already having bagged one podium finish. With Park Ha-jun, she won Korea a bronze medal in the 10 meter air rifle mixed team event on Tuesday.

Lee and Bae, 31, each secured a spot in the eight-person individual final, which followed the team competition that also served as an individuals’ qualifying round.

In the 50 meter rifle three positions event, each shooter unsurprisingly takes aim from a 50-meter distance in three different positions: kneeling, standing and “prone” — on the belly. In the team contest, Lee scored a perfect 100 points from the kneeling position during her second round.

The 25 meter pistol event is contested in two stages: precision and rapid — one round for accuracy and another for speed. Pistol shooter Yang, 20, scored a perfect 100 points in the first rapid series during the team contest while teammate Kim, 33, bagged a 100 during the second rapid round. Yang also qualified for the eight-person individual pistol final.

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