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Record-breaking Korean sport shooter with level 2 hearing disability sets sights on Olympic gold

Published: 20 May. 2025, 19:28 Updated: 21 May. 2025, 14:15

Kim Woo-rim poses during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the Boeun Middle School shooting range in North Chungcheong on May 14. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Kim Woo-rim, a 27-year-old sports shooter with a level 2 hearing disability, continues to defy expectations in Korean shooting.

Kim met with the JoongAng Ilbo at the Boeun Middle School shooting range in North Chungcheong on May 14, just days after setting two national records in a single day.

Kim scored 635.2 points in the men’s 10-meter air rifle final at the Daegu Mayor’s Cup, surpassing the previous Korean record by 1.1 points.

He also helped his team set a new national team record of 1,893.4 points — 3.3 points above the previous best.

The maximum possible score for 60 shots is 654 points, meaning Kim averaged 10.6 points per shot, consistently hitting the 0.5-millimeter (0.01 inches) center ring of the target.

His record-breaking performance shocked the Korean shooting community.

Kim picked up a rifle for the first time in sixth grade, inspired by his older sister Kim Go-un, 30, a hearing-impaired shooter herself.

“My sister lost her hearing due to a high fever,” he wrote in an interview conducted through pen and finger spelling. “But I was born deaf. My eardrums don’t work, but the cochlea, which helps with balance, is fine.”

Unlike other competitors, Kim doesn’t completely hear the loud music often played at shooting venues, which he said actually helps him concentrate.

Kim Woo-rim trains at the Boeun Middle School shooting range in North Chungcheong on May 14. [JOONGANG ILBO]

“It’s quieter for me, so I can focus better than hearing athletes,” he said.

Kim chose not to learn sign language in order to adapt socially. He recalled how peers once mocked his speech and mouth movements, leading to moments of resentment about his disability.

But after he began shooting, he gradually found calm by his second year in middle school.

Kim grew up in Gwangju, but since there was no local team that accepted athletes with disabilities, he traveled to nearby Damyang for training throughout his school years.

His best score during college was 618 points, but his performance has soared since last year, winning a gold medal at the Michuhol National Competition last month.

Boeun County, where his current team is based, recently remodeled the shooting range to support his training.

“Woo-rim holds the world record at the Deaflympics at 625.1 points,” Boeun County head coach Yang Seung-jeon said. “On May 13, he shot 632.1 points at the Jikji Cup for athletes with disabilities, which would be a world record if officially recognized.”

The Daegu Mayor’s Cup also served as a qualifier for the national team. Kim could also qualify for the national team, if he finishes in the top four in seven major non-para events.

That would also allow him to compete at the ISSF World Shooting Championship in Cairo, Egypt from Nov. 6 to 18 and then go straight to the Deaflympics in Tokyo from Nov. 15 to 26.

Kim’s KakaoTalk profile reads “attendre et espérer,” a French phrase meaning “wait and hope,” which serves as his life motto as he dreams of standing on the Olympic podium, not just for himself, but also for his mother.

“The Olympic team is a high wall,” he said. “But I want to give my mother a gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”

Kim and his sister were raised by their single mother, who worked in insurance sales to support the family.

His hearing aid — held together with lifting plastic tape — was purchased for 20 million won ($14,300) when he was 6 years old after undergoing cochlear implant surgery.

“I want to buy a new one with my own money,” he said.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]