DESPITE being a first-time competitor, 31-year-old Republic of Korea representative Kim Yeji has captured the hearts of people from all over the world following her recent performance at the Olympics.
But it is not because of her skills, it is because of how she carried herself, with Olympic fans dubbing her as the “coolest” athlete in the games.
Yeji won silver during the 10m air pistol women’s event, beaten by Olympic Village roommate Oh Ye Jin, who also stood out to many online due to the adorable purple heart attached to the end of her gun.
That is she shot with her hand in her pocket, sunglasses and a completely different vibe.
Yeji said with regard to Ye Jin’s win that she doesn’t view the latter of her rival, and is very proud of her win, even viewing her as a little sister whom she always wants to be there for.
Since her performance at the Olympics, many clips of her have gone viral given her calm but deadly aura, with her bespoke glasses giving her an even more iconic look.
Added to this is an adorable elephant charm hanging from her waist, which is reported by Korean news outlet Insight to belong to Yeji’s five-year-old daughter.
The most "Main Character Energy" I've ever seen in my life.pic.twitter.com/ExuXVxB3VB
— Del Walker 🇵🇸 (@TheCartelDel) July 30, 2024
The videos of Yeji online have garnered millions of views thus far.
Many have said that Yeji exudes main character energy, and have also resorted to making edits and fancams of the athlete following her performance.
“I’m gonna tell my kids these were the Avengers,” wrote one user, including Yeji in one photo along with three other Olympic athletes.
Reposting a video of Yeji, another wrote: “No matter what you do, you’ll probably never look this cool doing it.”
She doesn’t just look cool, though. Aside from her silver medal win, she also set a new world record during her competition, as per the New York Times, and is currently on-track to win the 25m pistol title.
About Yeji
Yeji was born in Maepo, Korea, but later on moved to Danyang. She has been competing as early as 2006, even winning a bronze medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships in the 10m air pistol category.
As per the official Olympics website, Yeji first took up shooting in middle school, gaining interest in the sport because she was curious in shooting.
Before joining the Olympics, Yeji came straight off of a number of wins, such as a silver medal at Indonesia’s Asian Rifle or Pistol Championships, a gold and silver at the Baku leg of the Pistol Championships World Cup, and a bronze at Munich’s Asian Rifle or Pistol Championships.
