CHATEAUROUX, France (AP)
- Sixteen-year-old Ban Hyojin of South Korea won the Olympic gold medal in shooting after a closely contested shoot-off against China's Huang Yuting.
- Both shooters ended with a tie at 251.8 points after 22 shots, leading to a nail-biting final round.
- Ban Hyojin's victory highlights the emerging talent in the sport among younger athletes.
— In a thrilling display of precision shooting, 16-year-old South Korean athlete Ban Hyojin clinched the Olympic gold medal in the women’s 10-meter air rifle event by a razor-thin margin of just 0.1 points. Ban and her competitor, 17-year-old Huang Yuting of China, both finished with an impressive score of 251.8 points after 22 shots, setting an Olympic record. The competition culminated in a tense shoot-off, where Ban secured victory with a score of 10.4 against Huang’s 10.3. Reflecting on her victory, Ban expressed the pressure she felt competing alone in France without her family. “At this young age, I felt a lot of pressure,” she admitted, but the cheers from her fellow countrymen brought her a sense of relief and accomplishment. Despite leading comfortably earlier in the match, Ban faced a challenge when her final two shots fell short, allowing Huang to tie the score and force the shoot-off. In addition to Ban's triumph, Huang also celebrated her second medal of the Paris Games, having previously won gold in the mixed team air rifle event. Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Audrey Gogniat took home the bronze medal in the individual event, finishing with a score of 230.3. In related news, Chinese shooter Sheng Lihao continued his dominance at the Games, winning gold in the men’s 10-meter air rifle with a record score of 252.02, marking his second gold medal of the competition.