Shooting's Kim Yeji, Elon Musk's Praise: "I Didn't Believe It at First" [Paris Olympics]

Kim Yeji's Shooting Scene Trending on SNS
Elon Musk Also Says "Let's Cast in a Movie"

Kim Ye-ji (32, Imsil County Office), the silver medalist in the women's 10m air pistol shooting event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, shared her thoughts on Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, praising her.

On the 6th, Kim Ye-ji appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "At first, I didn't believe it when I heard that. I was like, 'Elon Musk said what about me?' and 'What is a shoutout?' I didn't even know the word 'shoutout,'" she said. A shoutout is the Korean transliteration of the English phrase 'shout out,' which is used to express gratitude for something good or to mention and introduce someone you respect.

On the 28th of last month (local time), Kim Yeji, who advanced to the women's 10m air pistol final at the 2024 Paris Olympics shooting event held at the Ch?teauroux Shooting Center in France, is practicing. [Image source=Yonhap News]

When the host said, "It means to support or respect," Kim recalled, "I misunderstood the meaning. People kept saying Elon Musk, Elon Musk, and then I realized it was real."

When the host joked, "You should have a meal with Elon Musk sometime and ask him questions," Kim Ye-ji replied, "I don't think it will work because I can't speak English."

Earlier, on the 28th of last month (local time), Kim Ye-ji won the silver medal in the women's 10m air pistol individual event at the Paris Olympic Shooting Ch?teauroux Shooting Center, following Oh Ye-jin (IBK Industrial Bank of Korea).

However, the video that went viral on social media was not from the Olympic event but from the ISSF Shooting World Cup 25m pistol competition held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in May. At that time, Kim Ye-ji scored 42 points, setting a new world record and winning the gold medal. In the footage from that competition, Kim Ye-ji shot the last shot wearing her cap backward, checked the target with a cold expression, and then checked the pistol's safety lock. Despite setting a world record, she did not smile.

Her cold expression reminded many of a 'killer' from a movie. In particular, Musk tweeted on X, "(Kim Ye-ji) should be cast in an action movie. No acting skills needed."

[Image source=X (formerly Twitter)]

Regarding why she did not smile even at the moment of setting the world record, Kim Ye-ji said, "Many people told me that was amazing, but I was strongly focused on preparing for the next competition." She added, "I hadn't been competing internationally for long. Before that, I only competed domestically and was a national team member briefly, so it felt empty. I felt like I was spending time without achieving anything, so I decided to set a goal and started training like crazy."

Kim Ye-ji, who started shooting in the first year of middle school, said, "I had a long period of obscurity, about 20 years," and "I thought about trying something else. I thought my life was long anyway, and it wouldn't be too late to do something else, so I spent a lot of time wandering with those thoughts."

She continued, "That was in my twenties, and I had a lot of those thoughts. But after having a child, I thought I shouldn't be a shameful person. I wanted to be someone my child wouldn't be ashamed of when they grow up, so I took responsibility and decided to aim higher," she added.

Regarding her next goal, Kim Ye-ji said, "First, I plan to go back and steadily work my way up through domestic competitions. Then, I hope to become a player who can stand proudly in front of everyone again at the next international competition."