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What happened to Paris Olympics silver medalist Kim Ye-Ji? All about the viral Korean shooter's unexpected press conference crisis
Kim Ye-ji of South Korea, the shooter who went viral for her distinctive appearance during her silver-winning 10m air pistol feat at the Paris Olympics, collapsed at a press conference on Friday. Apparently, she faced such a health scare due to stress and exhaustion after her stint in Paris.
Ye-ji, 31, contested the 2024 ISSF World Cup, where she won 25m pistol bronze in the Munich installment and a 10m air pistol silver in Baku. She also set the 25m pistol event in the latter and won the gold at the Baku World Cup, building up to the Paris Olympics.
At the quadrennial event, Ye-ji's composed style and futuristic glasses, designed for precision, made her an overnight sensation. A stuffed elephant of her daughters that she clutched during the 10m air pistol performance also captured the hearts of fans. Her unique body language was dubbed 'the main character energy' while her picture took rounds of the internet.
After her Olympic performance, Kim Ye-ji collapsed at a press conference in Imsil, her home county in southern South Korea. The county official confirmed by telephone that she was quick to regain consciousness and didn't require CPR on the spot. However, she was admitted to the hospital for further observation. The probable reason behind her health scare was stress and exhaustion from the quadrennial Games, according to Reuters.
The county official also announced that Kim Ye-ji would stay at the hospital until fully recovered. An X post confirmed that her blood test, CT, and X-ray reports had 'no abnormalities'.
Kim Ye-Ji happy to learn that her mindset inspired people to take the sport
Since Ye-ji isn't active on social media, she was unaware of the rapid fame until her team broke it to her at dinner. Later, speaking to the Los Angeles Times, she expressed contentment over people taking inspiration from her to try the sport.
"There were a lot of messages saying that they learned a lot from me, that my mind-set gave them hope. And then others saying that they were inspired to try shooting because of me. I was really touched because I was actually very anxious. So I was really encouraged by how many people messaged me to tell me that my interview gave them courage," she said.
The "smiling assassin", as she was nicknamed at home, also went viral for her backward cap look from the 2024 ISSF World Cup. With the same quality and class as shown at the Olympics, Ye-Ji set the world record in the 25m pistol. Her icy glare and Terminator-style glasses piqued the interest of several fans.
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