'Olympic Champion' Yang Ji-in Shocking Exit from Women's 25m Pistol Individual Event... Only Bong Seo-rin Advances to Finals, Team Silver Medal [Toyota]

*This content was translated by AI.

Yang Ji-in of Woori Bank, the 2024 Paris Olympic champion and a strong favorite for gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, failed to medal in the individual event.

On the 28th, Yang finished 17th with 575 points (27 Xs) in the women's 25m pistol individual final and team competition held at the Toyota General Shooting Range in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Yang had topped this event at the previous Paris Olympics, raising expectations for an Asian Games gold medal. This also offered a chance to overcome the disappointment of winning two bronze medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Games held in 2023.

Moreover, Yang had led the preliminary round of the 25m pistol event the previous day with 292 points (11 Xs). However, during today's rapid fire stage, her 21st shot was delayed, resulting in a zero-point penalty for that shot—a major setback—and she ultimately failed to advance to the finals.

O Ye-jin, who competed alongside Yang, also missed the finals, finishing 10th with 579 points (14 Xs) in the individual preliminary round.

Instead, 'eldest sister' Bong Seo-rin of Gwangju City Sports Council shot 292 points in the rapid fire stage, combining with her previous day's 289 points from the standard fire to total 581 points (14 Xs) in the individual preliminary round. She finished 7th overall and became the only Korean athlete to secure a spot in the finals.

Bong Seo-rin, competing alone in the finals, will challenge for the first-ever gold medal in this event's history starting at 2:15 p.m. The best previous result was a silver medal won by Boo Soon-hee at the 1994 Hiroshima Games.

Born in 1993, Bong Seo-rin was recognized as a promising talent from a young age and began her professional career with Imsil County Office in 2017. After marrying in 2020, she was selected for the national team for the first time the following year. Following childbirth, she was named to the national team for the second time in her 20-year athletic career this year and is now competing at the Asian Games.

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*This content was translated by AI.