[Anchor]

Chu Ga-eun set a new Asian record in the women's 10m air pistol, capturing South Korea's first gold medal in shooting at this event. Adding a silver medal in the team event, she walked away with two medals yesterday (the 23rd).

Reporter Han Sung-hee has the story.

[Reporter]

After advancing to the final in first place by setting an Asian Games record in the qualifiers, Chu Ga-eun pulled the trigger with unwavering confidence in the eight-person final.

Taking the lead from her first 10 shots, she displayed overwhelming skill in the survival format where one shooter is eliminated every two shots.

Taking slightly longer than usual to aim, she pierced the absolute center of the target.

[It was nerve-wracking. And she shoots a 10.8 here. Absolutely incredible.]

Despite the loud cheers from the stands, she accurately aimed the barrel inscribed with the word "Cool" and continuously hit targets in the 10-point range.

After securing the silver medal when her strong rival Jiang Lanxin of China was eliminated, Chu wore a subtle smile. When her final competitor, Shen Yaoyao, scored 8.8 on her 23rd shot, Chu immediately fired a 10.6 to virtually seal the victory.

With her final shot, she scored 246.3 points, setting a new Asian record and confirming the gold medal.

Like the acne patch on her forehead, Chu became a golden star, flashing a bright smile as she hung her first-ever Asian Games gold medal around her neck.

The South Korean national anthem echoed through the shooting venue for the first time.

[Chu Ga-eun / National Shooting Team Athlete: I just thought, 'Let's go out there and have fun.' I definitely seem to perform better in the finals than in the qualifiers.]

Reaching the golden milestone nine years after donning the Taegeuk mark at age 16, Chu teamed up with Oh Ye-jin and Kim Bo-mi to win a silver medal in the team event, followed by a witty celebration.

National shooting team head coach Jang Gap-seok shed tears after the team suffered through a drought of gold medals.

[Jang Gap-seok / National Shooting Team Head Coach: We will do our best in the remaining events to repay everyone for your support. Thank you.]

Having sounded the first gold-winning shot five days into the opening of the event, the national shooting team will continue its hunt for medals until October 1.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
Reported by Park Jin-ho | Video by Park Jung-sam | Graphics by Yang Gi-tae