Paris Olympics viral star Kim Ye-ji takes a break from shooting to spend time with family

Olympic shooting star Kim Ye-ji is temporarily putting down her weapon to spend time with family, her agency said Sunday. She is exhausted from the competition and the great public attention that her casual coolness has generated.

The 32-year-old shooter rose to fame during the Paris Olympics – where she won silver in the women's 10-meter air pistol shooting – after a video of her calmly firing a shot and discharging her weapon went viral.

The clip, which was actually from a competition in May 2024, sparked an uproar online, with people praising her energy as the “main character” and Tesla boss Elon Musk calling for her to be cast in an action film, announcing that it ” no action required.”

Kim will “temporarily pause her sports career… to spend some time with her young daughter,” her agent Yang Yong-sik said.

As part of the decision, she will not renew her contract with her team, which expires in December, he said.

Kim is not retiring from shooting, he added, but wants to “take a break and make up for the time she wasn't able to spend with her family.”