Kim Ye‑Ji collapses during press event; hospital stay needed

Kim Ye-ji, alongside Yusuf Dikec, became an icon of confidence in pistol shooting during the Olympic Games in Paris. Both became silver medalists, displaying great calm during their attempts. The Korean athlete has already returned to her country, where she participated in a press conference during which she lost consciousness.

According to South Korean media reports, the athlete was taken to a hospital in Jeonju. Fortunately, her life is not in danger, but she will remain in the hospital for further observation.

We were informed by emergency medical staff that she does not require serious treatment - said the spokesperson for Imsil County in an interview with AFP.

The shooter’s coach, Kwak Min-su, said that the 31-year-old never had any health issues but suspects that the incident might have occurred due to the workload and a tight schedule.

Kim Ye-ji gained popularity not only for her confidence but also for her style of dress when approaching the competition in Paris. She wore a loose tracksuit, distinctive wire-frame glasses with a patch over one eye, and a baseball cap on her head. Despite her mistake in the qualifying round, internet users proclaimed her the best shooter in the world, and even Elon Musk congratulated her on her success.

I’m not very active on social media. I only have six or so posts on Instagram and I didn’t have a Twitter account, so I didn’t find out until much later. We were having a team dinner the day after my 10-meter final and my 25-meter pistol coach said, "Ye-ji, I saw you became a world star." Then someone said Elon Musk had given me a shout-out - said the shooter in an interview with the "LA Times".