Last Shot Worth a Perfect Score: Dramatic Comeback Secures Silver in Air Rifle Mixed Team

[Anchor]

South Korea has won a silver medal in the 10m air rifle mixed team event at the Asian Games. Pairing up with Ban Hyo-jin, national shooter Park Ha-jun hit a perfect score on his final shot in the match for the third place, pulling off a thrilling comeback victory against Japan.

Reporter Ha Seong-nyong has the details from the venue.

[Reporter]

Ban Hyo-jin and Park Ha-jun were trailing in third place behind China and Japan up until the second stage of the finals.

During the second of the final three shots in the match for third place, Park committed a major mistake by scoring only 9.9 points. Trailing Japan by 0.8 points with just one shot remaining, a bronze medal seemed all but certain.

Ban then suffered from muscle cramps in her foot, prompting a timeout request that turned out to be a stroke of luck.

Regaining his composure, Park miraculously landed his final bullet right in the dead center for a maximum score of 10.9 points, while the Japanese shooter managed only 9.5 points, completing a thrilling comeback drama.

Securing second place in dramatic fashion, the national team advanced to the gold medal match against China, which held a lead of more than 3 points, but they were unable to turn the tables and settled for the silver medal.

Earning their second medals of the competition side by side, Ban and Park presented the silver medal as a gift to the public ahead of the Chuseok holiday.

[Ban Hyo-jin / National Shooting Team Athlete: (Ahead of Chuseok) I was hoping that all families would gather together and watch our match. Did you happen to watch it, everyone?]

[Park Ha-jun / National Shooting Team Athlete: It was a Chuseok gift (for the citizens).]

---

In the men's 400m medley relay, South Korea claimed the bronze medal with a new national record, stepping onto the podium for the second consecutive competition.

Kim Young-beom, who anchored the final freestyle leg, hung a medal around his neck for the third consecutive day, following his gold medal in the 50m freestyle and silver medal in the 100m freestyle.

Kim Woo-min, who had drawn high expectations, finished at the bottom of the field in the 1,500m freestyle due to the lingering effects of a shoulder injury he has been suffering from since two months ago.

Kim will compete in the 400m freestyle where he aims for his second consecutive title, but he has given up participation in the 200m, and his participation in the 800m will be decided after consulting with medical staff.

With the injury of Kim Woo-min, a triple gold medalist in Hangzhou, a red light has turned on for South Korean swimming's quest for its most medals ever.

(Photo courtesy of Yonhap News)
(Video Reported by Park Hyun-chul | Video Edited by Hwang Ji-young | Design by Taeyoung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.