By Amlan Chakraborty
PARIS (Reuters) – Chinese sharpshooters ruled the Olympic range, while pistol shooters Yusuf Dikec of Turkey and South Korea’s Kim Ye-ji became overnight social media phenomena after 10 days of drama-filled action at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre.
Banishing shooting to some 270 kilometres south of host city Paris did not sit well with several shooters and shooting federation boss Luciano Rossi has vowed to right the wrong before the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
There has been no complaint about the facility at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre or the action that unfurled there though.
The sight of former Turkish Gendarmerie officer Dikec shooting in a no-frills attire launched an avalanche of cool-dude memes turning the 51-year-old into an overnight celebrity.
In Kim’s case, it was what she wore — futuristic glasses, a cold look and a stuffed elephant toy dangling from her waist — that catapulted her to instant stardom.
Rossi, who has had meetings with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on how to raise shooting’s profile, was grinning.
“This is really very important for us,” the Italian said.
“After my election, I met with the IOC and they said maybe the most important thing is social media.”
Shooting’s new crop of Olympic champions appear to recognise that and are quite social media-savvy.
A new crop of teenaged medallists, including China’s Sheng Lihao (19) and Huang Yuting (17) and the South Korean duo of Ban Hyo-jin (16) and Oh Yeh-jin (19), provided a glimpse into the future of the sport.
American great Vincent Hancock won his fourth skeet gold, gymnast-turned-shooter Adriana Ruano Oliva became Guatemala’s first Olympic champion and Francisca Crovetto Chadid ended Chile’s two-decade wait for an Olympic gold.
China scooped one third of the 15 gold medals on offer, one more than they managed in Tokyo, to top the table.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in Paris; editing by Christian Radnedge)
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