An Olympian, who recently secured a silver medal for her country, collapsed during a press conference upon her return home.
Kim Ye-ji lost consciousness during a press event in South Korea today (August 9). This incident occurred merely 12 days after she achieved second place in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Korean shooter was bested by her fellow countrywoman, Oh Ye Jin, who set an Olympic Record with a score of 243.2.
Though Ye-ji missed out on the gold by just 1.9 points, she received commendations from Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla, Twitter, and SpaceX. Musk took to his social media platform to applaud her style and composed demeanor.
During the press conference in Imsil, located in the southern part of South Korea, Ye-ji collapsed due to stress and exhaustion.
Ye-ji later regained consciousness and was transported to a hospital for evaluation.
An official informed Reuters that the 31-year-old did not receive CPR, contrary to some media claims, and she will remain in the hospital for observation until she fully recovers.
The publication was informed that her collapse was likely a result of exhaustion after her participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
During the Olympics, Ye-ji sported futuristic glasses that enhanced her precision shooting, earning her the nickname “smiling assassin” in South Korea.
On Wednesday (August 7), Ye-ji expressed her gratitude to Musk for boosting her visibility.
One social media user shared a video of her competing outside the Olympics, captioning it: “The most ‘Main Character Energy’ I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Musk commented: “She should be cast in an action movie. No acting required!”
Responding to Musk, Ye-ji said: “I received a lot of unexpected attention and I believe it’s thanks to Elon Musk rather than myself. So, thank you.”
Luciano Rossi, head of the shooting federation, praised Ye-ji for bringing attention to the sport. He mentioned that he had numerous meetings with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on strategies to elevate the sport’s profile.
He stated: “This is really very important for us.
“After my election, I met with the IOC and they said maybe the most important thing is social media.”
Despite returning as a fan favorite, Ye-ji felt disappointed after being eliminated in the qualifying round of the 25-meter event, missing the three-second firing window.
Ye-ji, who holds the World Record in the women’s 25m air pistol event, apologized to her fans for making the ‘big mistake’ and ‘disappointing’ them.