Ban Hyo-jin, a 19-year-old shooter from the Daegu Public Facilities Management Corporation, is gearing up for a shot at the shooting Grand Slam at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Ban burst onto the scene as a rising star in Korean shooting during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
At just 16, she became the youngest member of the Korean contingent and struck gold in the women’s 10m air rifle individual event. Her victory was particularly significant as it marked South Korea’s 100th Olympic gold medal, creating quite a stir.
Ban’s success wasn’t a flash in the pan. She followed up her Olympic triumph with a gold medal at last year’s Cairo World Championship in the 10m air rifle, cementing her status as a prodigy by clinching both Olympic and World Championship titles as a teenager.
However, Ban’s journey hasn’t been without its hurdles. While she maintains a composed exterior, she constantly grapples with the pressure of being at the top. Persistent back and hip injuries have also been thorns in her side.
Despite these challenges, Ban maintains her world-class status thanks to her exceptional mental fortitude. She avoids resting on her laurels or getting carried away by past successes, consistently revisiting her initial mindset and practicing rigorous self-discipline.
She views her Olympic experience as a valuable asset rather than a burden, Ban explained. She focuses on her mindset, training methods, and key points to manage her current condition and mental state.
If Ban, who has already conquered the Olympics and World Championships, clinches victory at the upcoming Asian Games, she’ll complete the coveted shooting Grand Slam.
In the annals of Korean shooting, only three athletes – Jin Jong-oh, Lee Eun-cheol, and Kim Jang-mi – have managed to secure titles in all three major competitions.
Among this elite trio, Jin and Kim bagged their Asian Games gold medals in team events, while Lee stands alone in achieving a Grand Slam in individual events.
Should Ban clinch gold in the individual 10m air rifle event, she’ll make history as the first female shooter to accomplish an individual Grand Slam.
Rather than fixating on making history, Ban is prioritizing her immediate goal of reaching the finals. She’s taking a measured approach, setting achievable targets without succumbing to the weight of expectations.
She won gold at the Olympics and World Championships without any expectations, Ban remarked. She’s not setting my sights on winning at the Asian Games either. It’ll just have to see how things unfold when she competes.
As the Asian Games loom, Ban is in the final stages of her preparation. She’ll take to the range for her first event on September 20, which also marks the debut of the entire Korean shooting team at the Games. All eyes will be on Ban as she aims for double gold in both individual and team events, potentially etching her name in the annals of shooting history with a Grand Slam at the Asian Games.