Led by a fearless teenager shooter, the South Korean men's team grabbed a gold medal in the 10-meter air pistol Sunday at the Asian Games in the country's western port city of Incheon, rising to the top of the Asiad podium for the second straight time.
During the tense competition at Ongnyeon International Shooting Range, the team of Jin Jong-oh, Lee Dae-myung and Kim Cheong-yong scored an aggregate of 1,744 points to take gold, squeezing past the Chinese team by one point. It is South Korea's first shooting gold at the ongoing Asiad on home soil.
China scored 1,743 points for silver, and India grabbed bronze with 1,743 points but with fewer inner 10s during the competition.
In the team component, the combined scores of three shooters for each country in the individual qualification round determined the medalists.
Kim, the youngest member of the trio at 17, posted the team's best score with 585 points, four better than the three-time Olympic champion Jin. Lee, who won three gold medals at the 2010 Asiad, scored 578.
The top eight from the qualification round advanced to the final slated for later Sunday. Kim and Jin ranked fourth and seventh, respectively, while Lee ended in 13th.
Kim only picked up shooting three years ago and made the national team for the first time last year. The green shooter picked up the silver in the 10ｍ air pistol event at the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games and hasn't looked back since.
Despite some hiccups midway through the competition, Kim steadied himself and reached the final. Jin, who finished a disappointing seventh in the 50ｍ pistol final on Saturday, will get another crack at his first individual gold at an Asiad.
Sunday's victory allowed shooting powerhouse South Korea to salvage its pride after China dominated the shooting range at Incheon the previous day. During the opening day events, the host nation settled for two silver medals, including one in the men's 50-meter team pistol event. China, the continent giant, snatched three out of the four golds at stake for the day.(Yonhap)
