As with many people during the week, we totally swooned for the coolness overload of sport shooter Kim Ye-ji's antics at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
We're not really into sport outside of F1 (and a loose interest in tennis), but the Olympics has been impressive in many ways. Not least with Korean legend Kim Yeji and her nonchalant perfection and humility.
Kim Ye-ji the Real-Life Manga Queen Sport Shooter
It's the above clip that did it—this wasn't even at the Olympics. It was back in May and 31-year-old Kim Ye-ji set a blitzing new World Record in pistol shooting. Without batting an eyelid, she packed her stuff up and cleared off.
Now, the internet loves this sort of thing and she swept across Twitter like wildfire. It's the below tweet that really catapulted her to fame.
She's since been covered in The New York Times, The Guardian, NBC News, Glamour magazine, Eurosport, Time Magazine, and most impressively of all... Professional Moron (career highlight for her there).
At the Olympics last week she won a silver medal, actually coming in second to her 19-year-old Korean teammate (and current roommate in Paris) Oh Ye-jin. Of this Ye-ji told the Associated Press:
"She is like my youngest sibling and I always want to care for her and always be there for her. So, when she won the gold medal, I was extra happy. I do not view her as my rival. This is a big stage, the Olympics, and we won the gold and silver. When we won these medals, we were so proud we are Koreans."
Here they are together with Ye-ji saying those words!
To add to the wholesome awesomeness here it turns out Ye-ji was also sporting a special elephant keyring whilst competing. Behold!
And yes, that's her young daughter's little good luck memento she's been toting around Paris.
Very sweet indeed and a surprise to us how uplifting the Olympic events have been. Seeing all sorts of people have their efforts rewarded in one way another is pretty damn special. Very welcome indeed given all the usual troubles rampaging across the world right now.
Her rise to fame has brought newfound attention to a sport most of us probably knew little about. Looking at other competitors, the hand in pocket and leaning back stance seems to be the technique to use.
But it seems you can't help compete in events without looking totally cool. Ye-ji has been compared to various movie stars such as Keanu Reeves in the John Wick Films, Matt Damon in the Bourne Identity franchise, and even The Terminator.
That and manga characters such as Satoru Gojo.
And at the forefront of that goodness is a Korean sharp shooter with her daughter's elephant doll.
Kim Ye-ji... we salute you!
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