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As a teenager growing up in China with an interest in sport shooting, Jang Geum-young likely didn't imagine herself representing South Korea at the Olympics.
Yet it's exactly what she'll do in August in Rio de Janeiro, where Jang, now 36 with Korean citizenship, will make her Olympic debut in the women's 50m rifle three positions.
"I will try my best to win the gold medal," Jang told Yonhap News Agency Thursday at Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul.
Winning an Olympic gold on the first try is a daunting task for anyone, let alone a novice such as Jang, who has never before competed internationally.
As much as she'd like to reach the Rio podium, Jang said she has set aside another, more personal goal for herself.
"Aside from trying to win a medal, I'd love to see myself give it everything I have," Jang added. "I don't want to have any regrets at the end."
Jang said she signed up for the shooting team at her elementary school at 11 because "it looked cool." And she said she became interested in shooting because she aspired to become a police officer.
Jang became good enough to make the Chinese national team by 2003. She said she spent a little under a year on the team and didn't actually get to compete outside the country.
And Jang, who arrived here in 2006 and obtained her South Korean passport three years later, will have her first crack this year, having become, in her own words, the first Chinese-born shooter to represent another nation at an Olympic game.
Jang said she has never taken a formal Korean language lesson, but still speaks nearly fluent Korean. She admitted she experienced some difficulties for her first three years in the adopted country, but she has no such issues now, having trained herself by conversing with her South Korean teammates.
But when competitions near, Jang said she tends to become more reticent than usual. It's part of her routine to keep her focus sharp.
"Shooting is about battling yourself," she said. "So instead of trying to beat others, I will try to win that battle against myself."
Jang has a late start to her international career, and she's the oldest South Korean female shooter going to Rio.
At an age when other athletes might contemplate retirement, Jang said the Rio Olympics will only be the beginning.
"Competing at this year's Olympics won't be the end of my career," she said. "I'd like to go to the Asian Games and the world championships, too. I still have a lot of goals that I want to achieve." (Yonhap)
Yet it's exactly what she'll do in August in Rio de Janeiro, where Jang, now 36 with Korean citizenship, will make her Olympic debut in the women's 50m rifle three positions.
"I will try my best to win the gold medal," Jang told Yonhap News Agency Thursday at Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul.
Winning an Olympic gold on the first try is a daunting task for anyone, let alone a novice such as Jang, who has never before competed internationally.
As much as she'd like to reach the Rio podium, Jang said she has set aside another, more personal goal for herself.
"Aside from trying to win a medal, I'd love to see myself give it everything I have," Jang added. "I don't want to have any regrets at the end."
Jang said she signed up for the shooting team at her elementary school at 11 because "it looked cool." And she said she became interested in shooting because she aspired to become a police officer.
Jang became good enough to make the Chinese national team by 2003. She said she spent a little under a year on the team and didn't actually get to compete outside the country.
And Jang, who arrived here in 2006 and obtained her South Korean passport three years later, will have her first crack this year, having become, in her own words, the first Chinese-born shooter to represent another nation at an Olympic game.
Jang said she has never taken a formal Korean language lesson, but still speaks nearly fluent Korean. She admitted she experienced some difficulties for her first three years in the adopted country, but she has no such issues now, having trained herself by conversing with her South Korean teammates.
But when competitions near, Jang said she tends to become more reticent than usual. It's part of her routine to keep her focus sharp.
"Shooting is about battling yourself," she said. "So instead of trying to beat others, I will try to win that battle against myself."
Jang has a late start to her international career, and she's the oldest South Korean female shooter going to Rio.
At an age when other athletes might contemplate retirement, Jang said the Rio Olympics will only be the beginning.
"Competing at this year's Olympics won't be the end of my career," she said. "I'd like to go to the Asian Games and the world championships, too. I still have a lot of goals that I want to achieve." (Yonhap)
