Olympic shooting champions trying to stay upbeat under pressure

Jincheon, South Korea - The three reigning Olympic shooting gold medalists from South Korea are striving to maintain a positive attitude amid the pressure that accompanies their accomplishments. Ban Hyo-jin, Oh Ye-jin, and Yang Ji-in all secured gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and are aiming for their first Asian Games gold medals this fall in Japan.

Despite initial doubts about their Olympic success, each athlete has since claimed gold at the 2025 world championships, and achieving a gold at the Asian Games would solidify their legacies.

Ban Hyo-jin, the youngest South Korean Summer Olympic gold medalist ever at 18, admitted to feeling the weight of her Olympic title and emphasized the importance of not losing sight of her origins and working to improve. She aims to stay humble and focus solely on her best performance without worrying about winning a medal. Ban tries to remember what worked well at the Olympics and world championships, viewing the Olympics as a rare opportunity and concentrating on her physical and mental preparation for the competition.

Oh Ye-jin, also 19 when she won the Olympic title in 10-meter air pistol, found the experience overwhelming for a teenager. Her secret to staying grounded is maintaining a positive, optimistic outlook, which includes keeping her stress levels down by focusing on fun, positive activities such as driving around in her new car and singing along to her favorite tunes, or relaxing at the beach and meditating.

Yang Ji-in, 23, is the only member of the trio with prior Asian Games experience, having won bronze medals in 2023. Initially, she feared being too young for high-level competition, but now views her Olympic gold as just another medal from a standard competition to alleviate additional pressure. Yang has grown more confident in her abilities and aims to build upon her success by leaning on her teammates and striving for improvement at the upcoming Asian Games.