'I felt as if my heart would explode when shooting last bullet,' says Jin Jong-oh

'I felt as if my heart would explode when shooting last bullet,' says Jin Jong-oh. August. 13, 2016 07:07. by 리우데자네이루=이헌재 기자uni@donga.com. “This may be a bad news for younger Korean shooters, but I do not intend to retire yet, Jin Jong-oh said after winning the gold medal in the 50m Pistol Men event. "People ask me when I plan to retire, but that is a cruel question to me.”

Who would ask such a cruel question to Jin? “I was talking about malicious comments to Internet articles about me,” he said. “I try not to care about those comments, but I cannot help myself but reading them and thinking about them.”

The man with nerves of steel turned out to be a very sensitive guy who checks articles and comments about him. After finishing the 10m Pistol Men event in fifth place on Sunday, he stayed away from the Internet until he finished the 50m Pistol Men event. “I think that staying away from the internet helped me a lot. I recommend that other shooters do the same,” he said after winning the gold medal in the 50m Pistol Men event.

There is a twist in the reason why he chose a pistol instead of a rifle. “During my senior year at middle school, an acquaintance of mine brought me to a shooting range and let me shoot a rifle," he said. "When I could never hit a single target, the coach suggested me to try a pistol. So I did, and to my surprise, I started hitting the target with that pistol.” If he was good with the rifle, he would have been shooting a rifle today.

There is another twist in his hand as well. You might think that he would have a rough hand because he practices a lot. However, if you shake his hand, you will realize that his hand is as smooth as a woman’s. “Hand’s sensitivity is very important in shooting. That is why I take a very good care of my hand," the 37-year-old shooter said. "I apply lotion whenever I wash my hands and wear gloves on cold days. Also I use my left hand when I have to hold a heavy object."

Jin also talked about how he felt pressure from participating in Olympics and the country’s expectation. “Before the last shot that determined my medal, I felt as if my heart was going to explode,” he noted. “Wearing a uniform with the Korean national flag on it makes me proud, but often it is a heavy burden. Sometimes, I dream about living a life just like ordinary people.”

However, immediately after winning the gold medal, he showed his intention to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Why does he want to go through such a long and tough journey again? The three-time Olympic gold medalist said that it is because of younger Korean shooters. “Whenever I consider retirement, a new shooter appears with a great potential. After the 2004 Athens Olympic, I thought of Lee Dae-myung, who was a high school student. I thought that I should not lose to a high school student," Jin said. "More and more young shooters come in the scene, igniting my desire for winning like that.”