Song Jong-ho, 33, a leading figure in the “post-Jin Jong-oh” era of Korean shooting, is confident of winning gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games (AG).
The Korean Shooting Federation held an online media day for the national team on Friday. Athletes under head coach Hong Seung-pyo attended the event and expressed their determination for the Games.먹튀검증
Until the mid-2010s, South Korean shooting was a “filial” sport in international competition. ‘Shooting Emperor’ Jin Jong-oh (currently the head coach of the Seoul Metropolitan Government) led the team to four gold medals at the Olympics alone. South Korea also performed well at the AGs. It won 13 gold medals at the 2010 Guangzhou AG and eight at the 2014 Incheon Games.
As of 2023, South Korean shooting is ranked behind China and India. Jin Jong-oh hasn’t officially retired from the sport, but he’s embarking on a second career as an administrator.
Korea Shooting is not aiming high at the Hangzhou AG, which kicks off on March 23. Head coach Hong Seung-pyo said, “It is true that we are behind China and India in terms of objective performance. We will be looking to compete in the individual events rather than the team competition. We are aiming for three gold medals.”
The most prominent athlete in this generational transition is Song Jong-ho, who is competing in the men’s 25-meter rapid-fire pistol. He’s the new centerpiece of the national team and is coming off a gold medal in Hangzhou AG. He won gold in the individual event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Granada Grand Prix 2022 and bronze in the individual event at the World Cup Jakarta 2023.
Speaking at the media day today (May 5), Song Jong-ho said, “I am an athlete who has had many failures. I want to show my full potential at Sadae,” he said at the media day, expressing his determination to compete in the AG. As for his goals, he said, “I think Korea is better than China. I want to win not only the individual competition but also the team competition,” he said.
Song Jong-ho won gold in the men’s 25-meter rapid-fire pistol team event at Incheon nine years ago. However, he suffered a setback at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games when he was eliminated in the individual qualifying round. In Tokyo, he was disqualified after failing a bullet speed test after the first day of competition. The average velocity of the bullets in his purchased firearms did not meet the standard of 250 meters per second (m/s).
“In the hot weather (at the Tokyo Olympics), there was thermal deformation of the firearm. It was my problem. I took care of the ammunition and the way I practiced shooting,” he explained, adding, “The most important thing in shooting is mental, so I will continue to keep my focus and compete. I will try to achieve good results with my own know-how gained from my failures.”