The middle of the most important competition of her young life on Wednesday, South Korean pistol shooter Yang Ji-in found herself in a situation that rarely occurs in international shooting.
Yang was battling for a medal in the women's 25-meter pistol final at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Through five series of shots -- with one series made up of five shots -- Yang was in second place with 19 hits, or shots that scored 10.2 points or higher. But in the sixth series, one of her five shots did not show up on the monitor in her lane.
She brought the situation to the attention of officials. She was told all five shots had properly registered in the control room, and that the competition would proceed. But then her score wasn't being updated, which caused further delay.
All the while, Yang stood helplessly in her lane, looking slightly annoyed. The competition resumed after a few minutes.
Clearly affected by the incident, Yang missed her first four shots in the next series, dropping her into a three-way tie for second. Yang somehow grinded her way to the bronze medal, a testament to some serious mettle for the 20-year-old.
Yang even managed to flash a smile after securing her medal.
"I was so glad not to finish fourth. If I had finished fourth, I would have been crying," Yang said in a conversation with Yonhap News Agency. "I've barely had any time off all year. It's been a constant cycle of training and competing. I am really happy that I won this medal."
Yang did admit she was "a bit rattled" by that incident during the final but said she was able to regroup and keep it together the rest of the way.
It's that ability to brush aside potentially distracting situations and stay on her feet that suits the upbeat athlete well for the mental rigors of shooting.
"When things like this happen, I am usually like, 'Yeah, whatever,'" Yang said, laughing. "I tell myself, 'Oh well, it is what it is. There's nothing I can do about it.'"
Yang said a situation like hers rarely happens at international events, and she was glad to have gone through it at such a young age.
"Since I have this experience, I should be able to handle it better the next time if something like this happens again," Yang said.
After the eighth series, which would eliminate the fourth-ranked shooter, Yang was knotted at 26 with Feng Sixuan of China. The two went to a do-or-die shootoff, and Yang got a hit on all five shots to send Feng packing.
"I was nervous during the shootoff, but I absolutely did not want to finish fourth," Yang said. "I would have been devastated to come this far just to rank fourth."
Showing braces, Yang said, with nary a hint of irony, "I gritted my teeth so hard they almost broke."
Yang, who had earlier helped South Korea win the team bronze in the 25m pistol, said she was so nervous during the qualification stage earlier Wednesday that "my entire body shook." But what about after the final?
"I told myself, 'Hey, this was more fun than I thought it'd be,'" Yang said with a smile. "I think this was such a great experience."
With a whole career ahead of her, Yang said she wants to be an athlete who will remain in people's consciousness long after her career is over.
"I don't just want to be remembered when I win medals like this," she said. "I want people to keep mentioning my name for a long, long time, even after I am done shooting."
When told an Olympic medal could help in that regard, Yang pumped her fist and said, "Absolutely. I'll try to win it."
Source: Yonhap News Agency