(Asiad) Shooting champion pinches herself after record-breaking run to gold
NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- Pistol shooter Choo Ga-eun carries a small four-leaf clover, the universal symbol of good luck, on her backpack, and she ended up being the lucky charm for the national team at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday.
Choo delivered South Korea its first gold medal of this year's competition, taking the women's 10-meter air pistol title with an Asian record score of 246.3 points at Aichi Prefectural General Shooting.
Choo Ga-eun of South Korea smiles on the podium after winning gold in the women's 10-meter air pistol shooting event at the Asian Games at Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery in Toyota, Japan, on Sept. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)
"I thought it was a dream," Choo said afterward. "I never once thought I would set any record. And I could not believe it even after I got the record."
In a sport that often features nail-biting battles, Choo had a relatively stress-free run to the top of the podium. Choo beat Shen Yiyao of China by five points, and the gap could easily have been much larger if Choo had not hit an uncharacteristically low 9.8 points with her final shot.
"This doesn't feel like an Asian Games. I felt like I was just in Japan for some random international event," Choo said. "I did not feel that much pressure, and I felt quite calm out there. I think that helped me put up such a good score."
Before the individual final, Choo helped South Korea win silver in the team competition, which awards medals based on combined scores of three shooters per nation in their individual qualification round. Choo led the way with an Asian Games qualification record of 582 points.
South Korea came into Wednesday with one silver and two bronze medals in shooting, an underwhelming total for a country that snapped up 14 medals at the 2023 Asiad. Head coach Chang Kap-seok had boldly projected five gold medals for his team this year, but it may fall short of that target.
And Chang was reduced to tears Wednesday when discussing the team's performance to this point.
"It has been a tough going for us, ever since we got shut out of a gold medal on the first day," Chang said. "I want to thank Ga-eun for coming through."
Choo will chase her third medal in the mixed 10m air pistol mixed team event on Friday.
Choo Ga-eun of South Korea poses with her gold medal won in the women's 10-meter air pistol shooting event at the Asian Games at Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery in Toyota, Japan, on Sept. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)
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