Little-known Korean teen shooter wins two gold medals

South Korean shooter Kim Cheong-yong smiles, as he shows off his two gold medals at the Ongnyeon International Shooting Range, Incheon, Sunday. The 17-year-old was the first Korean double medalist by winning one each in the individual and team segments of the 10m air pistol event. / Yonhap

Star swimmer Park fails to win gold in 200m freestyle

By Nam Hyun-woo

INCHEON ― A Korean teen came from virtually nowhere to beat the favorite and win two gold medals in the biggest surprise on Day 2 of the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, Sunday.

Seventeen-year-old Kim Cheong-yong was the first Korean double medalist, winning one each in the individual and team segments in the 10m air pistol event.

But South Korea's star swimmer Park Tae-hwan, a favorite in the men's 200m freestyle, failed to win gold, coming in third at 1:45.85 behind Kosuke Hagino of Japan (1:45.23) and Chinese rival Sun Yang of China (1:45.28).

During the race at the Park Tae-hwan Aquatics Center (named after the simmer) Park and Sun were alternating the lead in lanes six and four, respectively, until Hagino in the fifth produced a spurt in the last 50 meters to come in first.

"It is regrettable that my performance was not good," said Park. "I'm sorry for the many fans here. I will try my best to produce a better performance in my remaining competitions."

South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan, right, looks at Kosuke Hagino of Japan standing on the top of the podium after the latter won the gold in the men's 200ｍ freestyle at the Munhak Park Tae-hwan Aquatics Center in Incheon. / Yonhap

At the Hwaseong Main Stadium in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, the Korean men's football team advanced to the round of 16 with a 2-0 victory over Laos. Lee Jong-ho and Kim Seung-dae scored.

Day 2’s biggest star for South Korea was the teenage shooter, who became the youngest Korean gold-medal winner.

Odds-on favorite and three-time Olympic champion Jin Jong-oh tumbled to third but warmly welcomed the younger shooter's victory.

At the Ongnyeon International Shooting Range, Kim recorded 201.2 points, besting China's Pang Wei, who shot 199.3 points and Jin who fired 179.3 points.

"I never thought I would win the competition, but as I finished, high marks were displayed," Kim said. "I think I can compete in this sport for a long time.

"Jin taught me a lot so far. He also told me before the competition that the first series is critical to setting the tone for the rest of the match."

In the highly contested competition, Kim started strong, shooting the first four rounds by hitting the inner 10s. He scored a 9.6 and 9.3 in the fifth and sixth, but shot a 10.4 in the seventh. After entering the knock-out phase, he shared the lead during the 10th with India's Jitu Rai. He began to slowly distance himself by firing the highest 10.9 in the eleventh, staving off Jin and Rai's hot pursuit. The shot, which was made in a tense atmosphere, drew wild cheers and the spectators' ovation.

With a 2.6-point lead, Kim recorded a 9 in the 20th, while Pang finished the competition with a 9.7. Jin fired a shocking 7.4 in the 16th round and failed to recover.

"As I shot, I knew I made a big mistake," Jin said of his 16th shot. "In any case, a new hero has appeared. Please give him your support."

The prodigy also played a leading role in Korea winning the team event, which took place hours earlier than the individuals.

The trio of Kim, Jin and Lee Dae-myung scored an aggregated 1,744 points with 71 bullseyes, outperforming the Chinese who had an aggregated 1,743 and 65 and the Indians, 1,743 and 64.

The victory was Korea's second straight Asiad team gold in the event, following the Guangzhou Games in 2010.

Kim earned his first cap earlier, just three years after he started the sport. Though he participated in only a few international events, he won silver in the 10m air pistol shooting team event at the World Championships in Spain earlier this month. Also in August, the lefty bagged a silver in the 10m air pistol event at the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games.

Jin, who beat Pang in the recent World Championship for gold, had to see Kim, who is 18 years younger than him, rise to the throne.

Despite appearing in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Asian Games, Jin boasts Asiad golds only in the pistol team events ― he settled for silver in the 50m event at the Guangzhou Asian Games and bronzes in the 10m air pistol events at the 2002 Busan and 2006 Doha Games.

He strived to add an elusive Asiad individual gold to his collection, but finished seventh in Saturday's men's 50m air pistol event with 92.1 points, being eliminated in the knock-out phase.