Shooter Jin Jong Oh Bags Gold Medal, Records History
South Korean shooter Jin Jong Oh not only bagged the gold medal by topping the men's 50-meter pistol division, he also set history in the Olympics and South Korean sports industry.
KBS World reported that the 36-year old native of Gangwon Province made Olympic history by being the first Olympian to win a gold medal in the 50-meter pistol event for three consecutive Olympics in Beijing, London and now, in Rio. He clinched the gold at the ongoing Olympics with a record score of 193-point-seven.
Jin also became the first South Korean athlete to win an Olympics for the third time in a row. He is now tied with archer Kim Soo Nyung as the country's athletes that have the most number of Olympic gold medals, each with four.
But the path to the gold medal was not easy fo Jin. He had to come back from the seventh place in the finals at the Deodoro shooting range. In an interview, Jin said, "I told myself not to give up. I wanted to give up, I was doing badly, but I said to myself this is my last Olympics. I cannot give up."
He further added, "I have won three (50m pistol) gold medals at the Olympics, but this one is the happiest and most valuable because this was the most challenging competition and I was under the greatest pressure."
The design of Jin's red gun also caught attention. The design was inspired by Formula One legend Michael Schumacher's Ferrari and has "No.1" engraved on it. According to him, "The president of the company in Switzerland was very accommodating of my request for the gun, and it took two years to make."
For him, his latest gold medal is a good comeback for his loss on Saturday for the 10m air pistol event, which he won in 2012 London Olympics. "I did badly in the 10m so I wanted to do better today. I felt nervous. I'm so glad I did well," he said.
Vietnam's Hoang Xuan Vinh claimed the silver medal while the bronze went to North Korea's Kim Song Guk.
On Thursday, South Korean President Park Geun Hye congratulated Jin stating, "His record of taking three straight Olympic champion titles and his indomitable spirit will be remembered among his junior colleagues and citizens for a long time."
