'Korea's first gold medal' shooting Seo Hoon-tae "I'm happy as if I won two gold medals"

(Nagoya = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Dong-han and joint reporters = "I feel twice as happy as if I won the gold medal twice."

At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games, national shooting team member Seo Hoon-tae (41, Gyeonggi Province Sports Council for the Disabled) won the first gold medal for the Korean team on the 19th.

Seo Hoon-tae smiled brightly when he found out late that he was the winner of his first gold medal.

The joy of receiving an individual's first Asian Para Games medal in gold added to the meaning that it was the first gold medal for the Korean team.

Hoon-Tae Seo won the mixed 10m air rifle shooting competition (sports grade SH2) finals held at the Aichi Prefecture Shooting Range in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, Japan on this day, shooting a total of 254.6 points over 24 shots.

Hoon-Tae Seo, who broke both the competition record and the Asian record, stood on top of the podium, beating Kwun Tong Wong Sa-Tong (Thailand, 253.6 points) by 1.0 points.

Park Seung-woo (32, Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall), who also participated in the finals, won the bronze medal with a total of 232.0 points from 22 shots.

Seo Hoon-tae, who took the lead by shooting 54.0 points in the first five shots, briefly lost first place on the 12th shot, but regained the lead and maintained concentration until the end, confirming the gold medal.

Looking back at the moment when the championship was decided, Seo Hoon-tae said, "Good job. I thought it was over now," and "Honestly, I thought I should be in the top 3. I was lucky enough to get a lot of high scores today, so I think I got a good result."

Seo Hoon-tae did not set out to become a shooter from the beginning.

After injuring his cervical spine in a fall accident in 2008, he tried wheelchair table tennis and wheelchair rugby and was looking for a new sport when he came across shooting.

The fun he felt when he first picked up a gun has been the driving force behind him to this day.

Seo Hoon-tae, who has experience in several sports, chose controlling one's mind as the most important thing in shooting.

Seo Hoon-tae said, "If you grit your teeth in shooting, your score will get worse. I think it's an sport where you have to put a lot of effort into it."

The secret to calming down was repeated training.

Seo Hoon-tae said, “I think the only way to gain confidence is through practice,” and added, “Even if I don’t get it right or have other thoughts, I try to empty my mind and keep shooting.”

Even in the joy of winning a gold medal, he did not forget the people who were by his side. This is Dae-yoon Park, a loader who helped me with my game and daily life.

Seo Hoon-tae expressed his gratitude, saying, “He helped me a lot when I was having a hard time and even with my everyday life. I am the person I am most thankful for who kept an eye on me and made me feel comfortable.”

The challenge of Seo Hoon-tae, who won his first gold medal, continues.

He will compete in the mixed 10m air rifle prone event (SH2) on the 20th and the mixed 50m rifle prone event (SH2) on the 22nd.

Seo Hoon-tae, whose main event is to participate in the competition, said, “I am having a little fun” with other sports, and pledged, “I will do my best in the remaining games.”

Park Seung-woo, who won the bronze medal that day, said, "I was disappointed that I had to skip this competition because I ended up with a silver medal in Hangzhou by 0.1 points," and added, "I really want to win a gold medal in the remaining events."