Yang Jiin of the Republic of Korea set a world record of 41 in winning the Asian women’s 25m pistol title in Jakarta on a day when India’s Rhythm Sangwan secured a record 16th Olympic quota place for India and a second spot at Paris 2024 went to Chinese Taipei’s Wu Chia Ying.
With both available quota places for Paris already earned by Korean shooters, Yang and her two compatriots, Kim Yeji and Kim Minseo, were shooting for medals only.
But it became clear very early on that the 21-year-old Yang would be collecting gold in a final where she beat the previous record of 40 set by Hungary’s Veronika Major in 2019 and equalled by Germany’s Doreen Vennekamp in winning last year’s world title.
Yang took the lead in the third round with the first of two perfect sequences of five hits, with a score of 10.2 or more required for each. She drew further and further clear with sequences of four, four and again five, reaching the gold-medal shoot-off with her compatriot sure of victory with an eight-point lead.
With a total of 38 she required three out of her final five for the record and after an initial miss three successive hits did the trick.
Kim took silver on 32.
“Before these Games my condition was not so good and I didn’t expect I would get a gold. So with what I have achieved today I am super-happy,” Yang told ISSF TV.
Asked how long she expected her record to last, she responded, with a wide smile: “I will have to break it again myself!”
Her compatriot Kim was similarly upbeat afterwards.
“I am very happy for the silver medal. However I am a little bit disappointed that I didn’t get the gold!
“I thought I could catch her – but for the next time it will be gold!”
Sangwan secured her precious quota place by preventing a Korean sweep of the medals, taking bronze ahead of Kim Minseo to earn a 16th place for her country at the Paris 2024 Games – one more than they secured at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
For the 20-year-old from Haryana this was the third medal in Jakarta as she had taken bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol and earned silver in the mixed team 10m air pistol events.
“I’m really happy that I won the bronze medal and a quota for my country,” Sangwan told ISSF TV.
“I would like to thank my coach – it’s because of him that I am here today – and all my supporters out there. Thank you very much for your blessings.
“All of the medals I have won here hold a special place in my heart, but today I was also able to win a quota for my country.”
Wu, at 31 the second eldest shooter in the final, commented: “I was very nervous ahead of this final because I have been looking for the quota place for a long time from last year. It’s been a long journey.”
She made sure of reaching the last five by virtue of a point over Singapore’s Teh Xiu Hong.
Teh’s compatriot Teo Shun Xie finished seventh and the eighth finalist, after two days of qualification, was Franchette Quiroz of Philippines.