Kim Yeji, who doesn’t lack the skills, style, and demeanor, has achieved huge success in the sport, becoming the 10-meter air pistol silver medal winner at age 31.
The South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji, 31, was born on September 4, 1992, in Danyang, where she developed a love for sports shooting.
South korean shooter Kim Yeji is th3 new James Bond of th3 Olympics, I'm absolutely obsessed with those shooting glasses and badass attitude 😎 #KIMYEJI pic.twitter.com/jR39XmAMFz
— IMSOVOGUE (@imso_vogue) July 30, 2024
Moreover, Yeji is a mom to a five-year-old who poses as one of her greatest inspirations in life.
As a mother and Olympic athlete, Yeji has managed to balance her life to perfection, as proven by her performance on the international stage.
Kim Yeji gives off the main character’s energy on the Olympic stage, turning heads around the world
Soon after the beginning of the Paris Olympics 2024, the clip of Kim Yeji traveled the far corners of the internet.
In the video, she is focused on the target with a 25-millimeter pistol. However, her backward cap, sharp bob, glasses, and stone-cold expression left an impression among netizens.
During the event, Yeji broke the world record in the women’s 25-millimeter pistol, which is a significant achievement for her age.
Omg her daughter’s elephant doll was with her during the olympics🥹 Kim Yeji is MOTHERING. pic.twitter.com/kiZlb7Beia
— Lit 🍉 (@hahyunsing) July 30, 2024
Moreover, in an after-interview, the shooter responded to the reporters that there was nothing to improve in her technique, which fueled the conversation about her hardcore aura.
Later, it was revealed that the viral video wasn’t from the Olympics but from her performance during the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in Azerbaijan.
Nonetheless, Yeji stood on the Olympic stage this year and competed in the 10-millimeter pistol, scoring a silver medal alongside her teammate, Oh Ye-jin.
As many people started talking about Yeji, they commented that the shooter gave off “main-character energy,” resulting in an outpour of awe and respect on social media.
Fans call Yeji a real-life anime character and praise her through their artwork
Looking back at her career, Yeji appeared at her first ISSF World Shooting Championship in 2010 and has been breaking records since then.
Further, her fans describe the shooter as a character from some sort of assassin action film and even compare her to Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen.
same pose. same aura. insane pic.twitter.com/2zX3iiorxT
— Michaela 🍓 (@Michisugussy95) July 30, 2024
Even Elon Musk couldn’t resist commenting on Yeji’s performance and tweeted, ‘She should be cast in an action movie. No acting required! Would be cool to have a shooting world champion in an action movie.’
Regardless of her looks and shooting style, Yeji is a kind person who considers her teammates as siblings. She also wears an elephant plushie during her performances, which is a gift from her child.
Likewise, Yeji hasn’t let the silver win affect her performance. As she remarked to the local media, ‘I am always confident. At worst, I will try to win one gold medal.‘
Additional Information
- Kim Yeji started sports shooting as a hobby in middle school and eventually practiced to become a world record setter.
- In 2024, she won a bronze medal at the ISSF World Cup in Munich for a 25-meter air pistol and a silver medal in Baku for a 10-meter air pistol.
- After her Olympic performance, GQ described Kim Yeji as the games’ first breakout star.
