[Paris Olympics] 'Zero Score First Shot'... Kim Yeji Eliminated in 25m Pistol Finals

Completed the full task smoothly, but a critical hit due to sudden shooting
Must shoot within 3 seconds... missed the timing, scored 0 points

Kim Yeji (Imsil County Office), who gained worldwide attention for her calm demeanor during the competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, received a disappointing result by being eliminated in the preliminary round of her main event, the 25m pistol.

On the 2nd (local time), Kim Yeji scored a total of 575 points in the qualification round of the 25m pistol event at the Ch?teauroux Shooting Center in Paris, France, during the 2024 Paris Olympic shooting competition. Although the qualification round has not yet concluded, Kim Yeji fell out of the top 8 and did not secure a spot in the final.

2024 Paris Olympics Shooting National Team Member Kim Yeji
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The 25m pistol event, in which Kim Yeji and Yang Ji-in (Korea National Sport University) participated, is a women-only event. The qualification round is divided into two parts: slow fire and rapid fire, each consisting of 30 shots. Slow fire consists of series of 5 shots fired within 5 minutes, repeated 6 times. Rapid fire is conducted by having the target appear for 3 seconds, then disappear, and reappear after 7 seconds. Athletes must complete their shots within the 3 seconds the target is visible, wait for 7 seconds, and then shoot again during the next 3-second appearance. Both slow fire and rapid fire consist of 30 shots each, totaling 60 shots, with a maximum score of 600 points (10 points per shot).

Kim Yeji comfortably scored a total of 290 points in the slow fire, but encountered problems in her specialty, the rapid fire. She scored 0 points on her 41st shot.

Among the 30 rapid fire shots, 28 were scored 10 points, 1 shot scored 9 points, maintaining a high score, but the single 0-point shot proved to be fatal.

An official from the Korea Shooting Federation stated, "In rapid fire, shots must be fired within 3 seconds, but Kim Yeji missed the timing, resulting in a 0-point score."