The 2024 Paris Olympics have been full of surprises. From a headless Marie Antoinette introducing a heavy rock band to surfers in Tahiti walking on air, what else could possibly shock the online world? But an unanticipated star of the games has emerged — Kim Yeji. This past Sunday, the South Korean pistol shooter captured the internet’s attention with her cool confidence and main character energy.  

Shooting in Style

A few days ago, Kim competed in the finals of her first Olympic event — Women’s Air Pistol. While she did make it on the podium with a silver medal, the sharpshooter’s style became the talk of social media. Kim’s Olympic get-up consisted of shooting glasses with a “Paris 2024” logo blinder, a black Fila windbreaker, and a white cap featuring bold “KOR” letters on the front. In an interview with GQ, Fila Korea noted that Kim’s performance windbreaker jacket is from their SS 24 season. However, it has been customized specifically for South Korea’s shooting team — hence the South Korean flag emblazoned on the front and “KOREA” on the back. 

Casual confidence gives the viral athlete the additional “it” factor that has stolen the hearts of the internet. With her short hair pulled back into a simple ponytail, her right hand steadying her pistol (her other hand almost languishing in her pocket), and her unwavering focus, Kim is the definition of charisma. On social media, many have been comparing her to action movie characters, the 007 himself — James Bond — and even Satoru Gojo from the popular anime Jujutsu Kaisen. Indeed, Kim is “Bullseye chic,” as the Olympics’ official Instagram page wrote. 

Yet, the sharpshooter toes the thrilling line of “looks like she can kill you but can actually kill you” and “looks like she can kill you but is a cinnamon roll.” The number one reason? The little elephant plushie that joined her as she competed, supposedly courtesy of her five-year-old daughter.

Kim Yeji at the Olympics

On Sunday, July 28, Kim competed in the finals for the Women’s Air Pistol event. To determine the podium order, Kim went up against teammate and Olympics roommate Oh Ye-jin. In their shot 21, Oh captured a 10.1 while Kim scored a 9.4. As a result, Kim competed against Indian pistol shooter Manu Bhaker to determine who would take home the bronze (with only one-tenth of a point separating the two athletes). In the end, Bhaker took home the first shooting medal by an Indian woman as the bronze medalist. 

Once again, Kim and Oh — at their Olympic debut — faced each other to decide who would claim gold. On her last shot, Oh clinched a 10.6, and Kim took home silver with a final score of 241.3 points. However, this is not the end for Kim. She will compete in the Women’s Sport Pistol Qualification – Precision event (25-meter pistol) on August 2. Tune in to NBC at 3 a.m. EST to watch it live. 

Breaking the Internet — And Records

Meanwhile, the clip that originally took social media by storm is actually from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup. Hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan this past May, Kim set the world record for 25 meter pistol event.
In the viral video, Kim still dons her black Fila windbreaker (customized, of course). However, this time the sharpshooter chose to wear her black baseball cap backward. Paired with a slight slouch and an unaffected facial expression, Kim’s nonchalance blew up immediately online once the video resurfaced. To add to this, she overturned a set by fellow South Korean shooter Jiin Yang a few months earlier. The previous record was 41 hits; Kim achieved 42.

All About Kim Yeji

Born in Danyang, South Korea, the 31-year-old sharpshooter likes watching movies and aims “to win an Olympic medal,” according to her Olympic profile. Kim originally “took up [shooting] in middle school” simply because she was “curious” about the sport. And look where that curiosity took her. 

While the 2024 Paris Olympics is Kim Yeji’s first time competing in the games, this year has been a big one for the sharp-eyed shooter. At the January Asian Shooting Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia, Kim captured the silver medal in the 25-meter air pistol. Six months later, she clinched bronze in the same event for the 2024 ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany. In addition, Kim broke the world record in the 25-meter at the 2024 ISSF World Cup in Baku, but she also won the silver medal for the 10-meter pistol event. 
 
For both of Kim’s shooting events — the 10-meter pistol and 25-meter pistol — the final round consists of the 10-ring system. Competitors shoot at a 10-ring target in this case. Furthermore, according to the NBC Olympics website, “In the finals, the 10 rings are subdivided into 10 score zones (10.0-10.9, with 10.9 being the highest point total).” Throughout both the qualification rounds and the finals, all athletes are required to stand and only use one hand (unsupported) while they shoot.

And the Crowd Cheers

From art to memes to TikToks, Kim Yeji has unexpectedly taken over social media. But the official Olympics X account (formerly Twitter) wasn’t too far off when they wrote, “You dropped this, Kim Yeji: 👑.” 

Art —  

A comparison —

@ssundayschool

The lean back is cold and shes holding a plushee in her other hand 😂😂

♬ My Bih Pose Is Nyasty – Mir🧚‍♂️

Keep up with Kim Yeji and her Olympics journey on Instagram. 

Want to read more about API athletes who are changing the game? Check out EnVi’s roundup of four trailblazing API athletes and leaders here!

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