Shooter Jin Jong-oh bags nation’s 10th gold medal


South Korea claimed its 10th gold medal of the London 2012 Olympic Games in men’s shooting on Sunday, accomplishing its stated goal for the gold medal count.

Defending champion Jin Jong-oh overtook compatriot Choi Young-rae in the 50-meter pistol final and earned his second gold medal in London.

His medal also completed the South Korean mission of at least 10 gold medals, a week before the Games are to come to a close. The ten consist of three in shooting, three in archery, two in judo and two in fencing. The country has also bagged four silvers and six bronze medals, putting it in fourth place for the medal count as of Sunday.

Spirited by a faster-than-expected golden performance, South Korea now expects to surpass the record 13 gold medals won in Beijing four years ago. Its favorite sports have yet to begin, including taekwondo, wrestling, men’s vault and women’s handball. 

Jin only qualified for the final in 5th position by shooting 100 points, while Choi entered the final with a seven-point lead over his favored teammate.

In the final, though, Jin closed in at almost every round to top Choi ultimately by 0.5 point. Jin beat Choi 662-661.5 points in total to earn his second gold after winning the 10-meter air pistol on July 28. The 22-year-old Choi, ranked 55th in the world, won silver in his first international shooting event.

Jin is the first South Korean athlete to win a Summer Olympic gold medal in the same event for the second consecutive time. His compatriot wrestler Sim Kwon-ho struck gold in two successive Games in Atlanta in 1996 and in Sydney in 2000, but unlike Jin, Sim captured the gold medals in different weight categories, not in the same class.

In the Winter Olympics, Kim Ki-hoon clinched gold medals in 1,000m short-track speed skating successively in Albertville in 1992 and Lillehammer in 1994.

Favorite shuttlecock pair Lee Yong-dae and Chung Jae-sung of South Korea squeaked by with a bronze in the men’s doubles in badminton. Their medal came as a bit of relief to the country. Its no-gold performance in London came eight years after Korea didn’t take home a gold medal in the 2000 Games, but hauled in one silver and one bronze.

The lowly performance by the South Korean badminton team followed a scandal which sent four teammates home early for deliberately losing games for a favorable draw.

Chung and Lee, upset in the semifinals the day before, defeated Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong of Malaysia 23-21, 21-10. It was Lee’s second Olympic medal after he won the mixed doubles gold in Beijing.

Defending champion weightlifter Jang Mi-ran effectively exited the Olympic stage with a fourth place finish in the women’s over-75kg class. She lifted 289kg, with 125kg in snatch and 164kg in clean and jerk. Her snatch was 15kg lighter than her prime time record. She looked for a bronze in clean and jerk, her favored discipline, with an attempt for 170kg or 295kg in total, but dropped the barbell before she had it lifted.

The 28-year-old grew emotional after what could be her final Olympics.

“I am just lucky to have finished the competition without getting hurt,” Jang said with reddened eyes. “I am worried that I’ve let down people who have given me a lot of love and support, because I didn’t come near the records I set in Bejing.”

In the four years since the Beijing Olympics, Jang has been bothered by nagging injuries, which could have contributed to her performance.

Lastly, Chung Yun-hee came in 41st with 2 hours, 31 minutes and 58 seconds in women’s marathon. Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia won the race with 2 hours 23 minutes and 7 seconds.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)