1st gold in Hangzhou leaves N. Korean shooters in tears
From left, Ri Ji-ye, Pang Myong-hyang and Paek Ok-sim of North Korea celebrate with their gold medals during the medal ceremony for the women's 10-meter running target shooting event at the Asian Games at Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre in Hangzhou, China, Sept. 28. Yonhap
After winning their country's first gold medal of the 19th Asian Games in China, Thursday, North Korean shooters Ri Ji-ye, Paek Ok-sim and Pang Myong-hyang were overcome with emotion.
The trio combined to bring North Korea the gold medal in the women's 10-meter running target team event at Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre in Hangzhou, China. Together, they put up 1,655 points on the board, beating Kazakhstan by 13 points.
During the medal ceremony, as the North Korean flag was being raised to the rafters and the anthem was being played, all three shooters began crying on the podium. They all did a military salute toward their flag, indicating their connection with the North Korean armed forces.
The rest of the North Korean shooting team, including coaches and team officials, watched the ceremony from the stands. They let out shouts of joy and waved mini flags when the gold medalists entered the shooting range at the start of the ceremony.
The shooting team also brought a large North Korean flag, with athletes and officials sitting in the front row holding it for the duration of the ceremony.
All three medalists refused to speak to Yonhap News Agency after their competition and also after the medal ceremony. No member of the shooting team in the stands acknowledged Yonhap. When asked if they were all members of the shooting delegation, a few of them simply nodded without speaking. (Yonhap)