Meet Kim Ye-Ji, the ‘bada**’ South Korean sharpshooter who wowed audiences with a stone cold showing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, with some saying she’s giving John Wick and Jason Bourne vibes

Aug 1 , 2024

Kim Ye-ji of South Korea competes during the 10m air pistol women’s final of shooting at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Chateauroux, France, on July 28. Photos: Xinhua, Instagram

Kim set a world record and took silver at the Olympics’ women’s 10-metre air pistol event, narrowly losing to fellow South Korean Oh Ye-jin; she competes in the 25-metre precision qualifier this week

The 31-year-old mother-of-one has been hailed as a ‘terrifyingly bada** heroine’ for her nonchalant style and ice-cold demeanour, with netizens saying she’s giving main character energy

We’re only a week in but the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is already giving us stand-out stars to talk about. There’s Hong Kong’s Vivian Kong, who took home a gold in fencing; Team USA gymnast Simone Biles who wowed with a floor routine set to a Taylor Swift song (and brought a host of celebrities like Serena Williams and Nicole Kidman to the stands to watch her); and most recently, French diver Jules Bouyer who set off a flurry of comments with his competition gear.

And now, we have a South Korean athlete stepping into the limelight. Having already taken the world of entertainment by storm, it seems that Asia’s undisputed centre of music and beauty is ready to capture hearts at the Olympics, too. Sharpshooter Kim Ye-ji captivated audiences with her performance and style at the Olympics’ air pistol events.

But who is the pistol-toting athlete who Glamour called a “terrifyingly bada** heroine?”

Kim Ye-ji’s showing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

During her Olympic events, 31-year-old Kim gave off serious main character energy, channelling a calm, cool and collected aura that some audiences have likened to fictional characters like Keanu Reeves’ John Wick or Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne.

On Sunday, she took home the silver medal in the women’s 10-metre air pistol event. It wasn’t just her impressive shooting that got people talking though, but her cool demeanour and sleek style that had the internet labelling her a “sci-fi assassin” and “the biggest bad*** of the Paris Olympics”.

At first glance, these descriptions shouldn’t apply to someone wearing a team-issued competition outfit. After all, what’s surprising about a white baseball cap paired with matching black track pants and a jacket? But add the futuristic shooting glasses, a stuffed elephant – a gift from her five-year-old daughter – the nonchalant hand-in-the-pocket stance, and a poker face that didn’t react as she set a world record, and you start to understand the fuss.

Curious spectators were quick to mobilise, soon finding footage of Kim at previous events, including at May’s International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup (ISSF) held in Baku, Azerbaijan, earlier this year, where she won gold at the 25-metre air pistol event. Again, she wore her regulation all-black Fila ensemble, but this time, paired with a black baseball cap worn backwards.

What solidified her insouciant, I-couldn’t-care-less image, however, was her answer to a question on how she planned to improve after her win at the ISSF event. She simply responded, “There is nothing to improve,” according to Time.

Even public figures are taking notice of Kim’s confidence, including Elon Musk, who took to X (formerly Twitter) calling for her to be cast in an action movie. “No acting required,” he posted.