'Shooting Silver' Jo Young-jae "I will complete my military service"... Refusal of military service special treatment because of father?

Qualified for early discharge but hopes to be discharged in September
First medal in rapid fire pistol in Korean Olympic history achieved

Jo Young-jae (25, Armed Forces Sports Unit), who received a military service exemption after winning a silver medal at the Olympics, announced that he will complete his full service and be discharged on his scheduled date of September 18. On the 5th (local time), Jo Young-jae scored 25 points in the men's 25m rapid fire pistol final at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at the Ch?teauroux shooting range, finishing second behind Li Weihong (32 points, China). With this, the Korean shooting team achieved their best-ever performance at the Paris Games, winning 3 gold and 3 silver medals, surpassing their 2012 London Games record (3 gold, 2 silver). After the match, Jo Young-jae said, "I am really happy to have won the silver medal. I want to return home quickly and grill meat with my family and relatives."

On the morning of the 5th (local time) at the Ch?teauroux Shooting Center in France, Jo Young-jae, who won the silver medal in the 25m rapid fire pistol final at the Paris Olympics shooting event, is holding up his silver medal after the award ceremony.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier, Jo Young-jae entered the competition on the last day after watching his shooting team teammates achieve good results amid a successful generational change. He said, "I felt some pressure, but I thought that if I didn't do well, it wouldn't change much. I focused on what I had to do and prepared. My initial goal was to qualify for the final, but I ended up winning a medal."

The 25m rapid fire pistol final does not have all shooters competing until the end. Six shooters first fire 15 shots each, and then one shooter is eliminated after every additional 5 shots in an elimination format. Jo Young-jae, who scored 19 points out of 25 shots and took the mid-competition lead, felt the most tension when the last four shooters remained. The medal outcome depended on the results of the next 5 shots.

Jo Young-jae explained, "The moment when the 4th place shooter was eliminated was the most nerve-wracking. It was very difficult because the medal or no medal was decided by a single shot. I shot with a desperate heart to hit the target, and I barely managed to score and place."

Meanwhile, Jo Young-jae, currently serving in the military as part of the Armed Forces Sports Unit, holds the rank of Sergeant. His discharge date is September 19, and with this silver medal, he became eligible to be discharged earlier. However, Jo Young-jae emphasized that despite qualifying for the military service exemption, he intends to complete his full service period. He said, "I will be discharged on the scheduled date. There is just a little over a month left until discharge. After returning home, I plan to go back to the unit and spend time with my comrades to wrap things up. Thanks to my comrades, coaches, and staff, who are all great people, my time in the unit has been very comfortable," he said with a smile.

He also explained that his decision was influenced by his father, who was a soldier. "My father was discharged last year after 30 years of service as a Warrant Officer. I want to do the same so that I am not ashamed in front of him," he said. With this silver medal, Jo Young-jae became the first rapid fire pistol medalist in Korean shooting history. Korea has sent athletes to the rapid fire pistol event since the 1960 Rome Games but had failed to win a medal until the Tokyo Games. Jo Young-jae broke this 'no medal' curse at Ch?teauroux. He said, "I am happy and honored to be the first to win a medal in rapid fire pistol. This event is relatively less known and less popular compared to other shooting disciplines. But if you try it yourself, you can experience the true charm of this event."