Pregnant competitors come up short in shooting meet

A memorable scene at last month’s Guangzhou Asian Games was shooter Kim Yoon-mi winning two gold medals in the women’s 10-meter air pistol.

What is more amazing is that Kim was seven months pregnant at the time.

At a shooting championship hosted by Woori Bank Thursday, Ha Eun-young competed in the women’s 10-meter air rifle despite being eight months pregnant.

Kim and Ha failed to win medals at the Woori competition, however. Kim found something wrong with her rifle the day before the competition and went home Wednesday, saying, “It seems like God`s intent for me to take a rest.”

Ha, who won a silver medal in the group event at this year’s National Sports Festival, ranked seventh in the Woori meet.

A rifle weighs more than a pistol and shooting gear weighs 8 kilograms, making it tougher for Ha. Though she unbuttoned the upper section of her shooting uniform and received a massage throughout the competition, she came up short.

Ha’s coach Eom Tae-gak said, “Because of her pregnancy, Ha failed to see good results but I’d like to praise her for doing her best.”

uni@donga.com