Choo Ga-eun Wins Asian Games Air Pistol Gold With Record Score

South Korean pistol shooter Choo Ga-eun won the women’s 10-meter air pistol title at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday, setting an Asian record and giving her country’s shooting team a timely first gold medal of the competition.

Choo scored 246.3 points in the individual final at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery. She finished five points ahead of China’s Shen Yiyao, establishing a comfortable margin despite recording 9.8 points on her final shot.

The result capped a standout day for Choo, who had already helped South Korea secure silver in the team competition. Team medals were determined by the combined results of three shooters in the individual qualification round. Choo led the South Korean trio with 582 points, an Asian Games qualification record.

After the final, Choo said she had not expected to set a record and struggled to believe the outcome even after it was confirmed. She attributed her performance in part to staying unusually calm, saying the event did not feel as pressurized as she had anticipated. A small four-leaf clover attached to her backpack served as a personal good-luck symbol during the competition.

Her victory was especially significant for a South Korean shooting squad that had entered the day with one silver and two bronze medals but no gold. The country collected 14 shooting medals at the 2023 Asian Games, and head coach Chang Kap-seok had projected five gold medals for the team at this year’s competition. The slower start had increased pressure on the squad before Choo’s win.

Chang became emotional while discussing the breakthrough, describing the opening days as difficult and thanking Choo for delivering the result. Her record-setting performance provided a lift to a team still seeking to approach its ambitious medal target.

Choo now has an individual gold and a team silver from Wednesday’s events. She will have another medal opportunity on Friday when she competes in the mixed 10-meter air pistol team event. That appearance gives her a chance to complete a three-medal campaign at the Games and build on a performance that has already produced both an Asian title and two competition records.