Koreas Excel in Shooting
By Yoon Ja-young
Staff Reporter
Shooter Jin Jong-oh, who won a gold medal in the men's 50-meter pistol at the Beijing Olympics Tuesday, has a special friendship with North Korea's silver medallist Kim Jong-su.
The two call each other ``brother,'' and started their friendship after meeting at the 2002 Busan Asian Games.
However, even good friends have to vie for medals in sports.
The 32-year-old North Korean shooter won a silver medal in Busan, beating his junior friend from South Korea who snatched bronze. Kim outperformed Jin in the world championship and the Asian championship.
However, 29-year-old Jin has stood above Kim on Olympic podiums. In Athens in 2004, Jin took the silver medal in the men's 50-meter pistol while Kim won bronze. In the 10-meter air pistol at the Beijing Olympics, Saturday, Jin again took silver while Kim took bronze. Jin grabbed the gold medal edging the North Korean marksman by only 0.2 points in the final round of the men's 50-meter pistol.
``We are good friends, and I am glad that I won the medal. Jong-su has excellent capability and I was lucky to win the gold medal,'' Jin told press Tuesday.
Kim, who speaks with a North Korean accent, seemed very disappointed about missing the gold medal. At the award ceremony on Tuesday, Jin even told Kim to smile as he stepped up to the top of the podium. The South Korean gunman is known as a guy who smiles and truly enjoys competition. ``Winning a gold medal is the aim and dream of any athlete,'' Kim said at the joint press interview, strengthening his ambition to win another gold in London in four years time.