GANGNEUNG CITY ENG - 솔향강릉

- Gangneung City Para-Shooting Team is ready to compete in the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games -

Shim Young-jip, Park Jin-ho, and Lee Yoo-Jeong from the Gangneung City Para-Shooting Team (head coach Kang Joo-young) were selected to represent the Republic of Korea at the Paris Paralympic Games after performing overwhelmingly well in four rounds of the national team qualifiers this year. The three departed for Paris on August 20 to compete at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, which is set to kick off on the 28th.

The national paralympic team of the Republic of Korea is comprised of 177 athletes (83 athletes and 94 officials) set to compete in 17 sports. Their goal is to win at least five gold medals and finish in the top 20 overall after the 12-day competition.

The Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province is represented by five athletes, three of whom are from Gangneung City who will be among the 12 athletes competing in the shooting event.

Park Jin-ho, a silver medalist at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, won three gold, two silver, and one bronze medals at the 6th Jikji Cup National Para Shooting Championships to finish first overall in the men’s division, making it on the national team early on. He also set a new Korean record in finals of the men’s air rifle standing event at the 2024 Hwaseong Mayor’s Cup National Para Shooting Championships, and won five medals at the 2024 Changwon Para Shooting World Cup.

Tokyo Paralympic bronze medalists Shim Young-jip and Lee Yoo-Jeong made it to the national team after finishing second overall in the men’s event and in the women’s event, respectively, after four rounds of the national team qualifiers.

The athletes are more determined than ever before. Shim Young-jip said, “I will do my best with persevereance,”Park Jin-ho said, “I will leave without any regrets,” and Lee Yoo-Jeong said, “I will believe in myself and fire with confidence.

“I hope that all athletes enjoy the Paralympic Games without regret because they have prepared for it to the best of their abilities. I will try to help the athletes take care of themselves mentally until the end of the Games so that they maintain their best possible condition to achieve great results,” said Kang Joo-young, the head coach of the Gangneung City Para Shooting Division who will depart for Paris on August 23.

As for the prior records of the Gangneung City Para Shooting Team, Kang Joo-young won gold at the London 2012 Summer Paralympic Games and 9 years later, Shim Young-jip brought back home a bronze medal from the Tokyo 2021 Summer Paralympic Games. They will compete in six events over seven days, starting with the women’s 10m air rifle on August 30, with a goal to win at least one gold medal.

# Paralympic Schedule

□ Overview​

○ (Competition) The 17th Summer Paralympic Games in Paris

○ (Period) Aug. 28 (Wed.) to Sept. 8 (Sun.), 2024 / 12-day period

○ (Location) Paris, France * Shooting events: Chateauroux Shooting Center

○ (Scale) 4,400 participants from 184 countries, 22 sports, 549 events

- South Korean National Team: 83 athletes in 17 sports (12 shooting events)

※ 5 athletes from Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (3 athletes from Gangneung City)

□ Event Schedule​​

○ (Athletes) 3 athletes on the para shooting team (Park Jin-ho, Shim Young-jip, and Lee Yoo-Jeong )

○ (Goal) One gold, two silver, and one bronz