DOHA — South Korean shooting star Yang Ji-in has dramatically turned her athletic fortunes around, transforming the bitter disappointment of the recent Asian Games into a historic world record and a World Championship defense.

Competing at the 2026 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championships in Doha, Qatar, Yang captured the gold medal in the women's 25m pistol event on Thursday. Her winning score of 44 points established a new world record, edging out silver medalist Trinh Thu Vinh of Vietnam by a single point (43). The performance surpassed the previous global benchmark of 43 points, which had been set by India's Esha Singh at the Munich World Cup earlier this May.

Yang’s journey to the top of the podium was characterized by fierce resilience. After finishing fifth in the preliminary rounds with a score of 588, she faced a challenging start in the final, trailing behind Trinh through the first seven series. A remarkable shift occurred in the eighth series, as Yang dialed in absolute precision, hitting all 15 of her remaining shots consecutively through the tenth and final series to secure the comeback victory.

This triumph marks Yang's second consecutive individual world title in the 25m pistol, following her dual gold-medal sweep in both individual and team categories at the Cairo World Championships last year. Beyond her individual accolade, Yang’s victory secured an official quota spot for South Korea at the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Because Olympic quota places are allocated to countries rather than individual competitors, Yang will still need to navigate domestic trials to confirm her personal berth in Los Angeles.

The gold medal serves as significant emotional redemption for the 2024 Paris Olympic champion. At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Yang suffered a devastating exit during the preliminary rounds when a time-limit error prevented her from firing her final shot—a critical misstep in a sport where decimals and single hits dictate standings.

Reflecting on her record-breaking achievement, Yang shared her perspective with reporters: "I used to envy seeing unofficial world records broken at domestic events, so achieving this myself is deeply fulfilling. I will train to my absolute utmost so that I can represent my country at the LA Olympics."

In addition to her individual success, Yang contributed strongly to South Korea’s team campaigns. Teaming up with Oh Ye-jin and Nam Da-jung, she claimed a silver medal in the women's 25m pistol team event with a combined score of 1,748 points, finishing behind gold medalists India (1,761 points) while Vietnam took bronze (1,745 points). Having previously secured a bronze in the 10m air pistol team event, Yang concludes her successful campaign in Doha with a complete set of medals: one gold, one silver, and one bronze.

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