South Korea's teenage shooting prodigy Kim Cheong-yong won gold in the men's 10-meter air pistol event at the Asian Games on Sunday, earning his second gold of the day at the Asiad.
The 17-year-old rose to the top of the podium after scoring 201.2 points in the thrilling competition at Ongnyeon International Shooting Range. He is the first double gold medalist for the host country at this Asiad, after getting the team gold medal in the same distance earlier Sunday.
He edged out China's Pang Wei, who earned 199.3 points, with his senior teammate and world record holder, Jin Jong-oh of South Korea, earning bronze with 179.3 points.
Earlier in the day, Kim, Jin and Lee Dae-myung combined for the team gold medal in the 10ｍ air pistol. Kim is the youngest male shooter ever to win an Asiad gold for South Korea.
Eight shooters competed in the final, with the worst shooter after the first eight shots facing elimination. In what has become a survival of the most accurate, the new competition format in pistol shooting further knocks out shooters after 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 shots. That leaves only two shooters left standing, vying for the gold with two final shots.
Midway through the final, it looked to be a two-way race between Kim, competing in his first Asiad, and Jin, a 34-year-old in his fourth Asian Games. After 14 shots, Kim led the field with 142 points and Jin was one full point back, with the next group, led by Pang, below 140 points.
With their 15th shots, Jin scored a 10.4 to Kim's 10.1, putting some pressure on the younger teammate. On the next turn, Jin shot a shocking 7.4 while Kim charged out in front with a 10.4. Pang leapfrogged over Jin into second place with a 10.6.
After peaking at the scoreboard with an incredulous look on his face, Jin recovered with a 10.6 on the next shot. Pang responded with a 10.1, and Kim maintained his lead despite a 9.7.
Jin was eliminated after his 18th shot, finishing the competition at 179.3 points. His exit set the stage for a duel between Kim and Pang.
Kim held a comfortable 2.9-point advantage over the Chinese.
With their penultimate shots, Kim scored a 9.8 and Pang a 10.1. Kim shot a mediocre 9.0 with his 20th bullet, but Pang's 9.7 wasn't nearly enough to keep the South Korean from bagging his second gold of the day.
South Korea won both of the gold medals at stake in shooting Sunday, a measure of redemption after settling for two silver medals in four events Saturday. China swept up three of the four gold medals Saturday but got two silver medals on Sunday. (Yonhap)
