Olympic Games Paris 2024 - Shooting - Source: Getty — In Picture: Kim Ye-ji at the 2024 Olympics (Image via Getty)

Viral Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji reveals reason behind taking a break from the sport - "Want to focus on my role as mother"

Modified Nov 08, 2024 18:06 GMT

South Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji is set to take a break from shooting. This comes just a few months after her success at the Paris Olympics.

Ye-ji clinched her first Olympic laurel in the 10m air pistol. She secured a silver medal in the competition after she scored 241.3 points, 1.9 points behind her countrymate, Oh Ye-jin, who eventually took the gold medal.

However, as per reports, the 32-year-old has ended her contract with the Imsil County Office Shooting team following this successful campaign. The South Korea National Sports Festival held between October 11-17 marked the end of Ye-ji's shooting competitions for the 2024 season.

Ye-ji announced her decision to take a break via a statement, stating that she is stepping away from the sport temporarily to fulfill her duties as a mother. She expressed her intention to return to the circuit as soon as possible. She stated (via Korea JoongAng Daily):

"As an Olympic medalist, I'm taking a pause in my journey to spend time with my child and focus on my role as a mother. I hope this break is seen as part of my process to grow further as a shooting athlete. Although I haven't set a specific return date, I’ll do my best to come back as soon as possible."

Besides her silver medal-winning performance at the Paris event, Kim Ye-ji also stole the limelight owing to her cool style and shooting glasses.

Kim Ye-ji opens up about her career development in shooting

Ye-ji during the 25m air pistol event on the seventh day of the 2024 Paris Olympics (Image via Getty Images)

Kim Ye-ji recently opened up about her thought process regarding shooting during the initial stages of her career.

In an interview, Ye-ji revealed that she began shooting as a fun exercise during her youth. She also mentioned that she initially didn't consider shooting as a career path but continued pursuing the sport with the goal of earning money from it. She said (via CNN Sports):

"I was so young then, and I just thought it would be fun. I didn’t think about taking it seriously and becoming a world-class athlete from the beginning, it was just fun. I just stuck with it to earn money at first"

Ye-ji has established herself as one of the most prominent shooters in the South Korean circuit with numerous titles under her belt. She has won several prestigious laurels, including three medals at the 2024 Shooting World Cup: a gold medal in the 25m pistol Baku leg, a silver medal in the 10m air pistol Baku leg, and a bronze medal in the 25m pistol Munich leg. She also won a silver medal at the 2024 Asian Championships in January.