Photos of South Korean Olympic athlete Kim Ye-ji are currently circulating on X, formerly Twitter. Users are enthusiastic about the stylish shooter, who could have come straight out of an action film or video game.
Who is the person you are talking about? Kim Ye-ji is a South Korean sports shooter who is currently competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. On July 28, she won the silver medal in the women’s 10m air pistol category. She holds a world record in the 25 m – and possibly also in terms of coolness.
Many people on social networks are raving about the 31-year-old.
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What’s behind the hype? Social media users are enthusiastic about the athlete’s posture, movements and facial expressions. A video showing her at the ISSF World Cup 2024 has been viewed more than 36 million times. You can watch it here:
Under this and numerous other similar posts, users compare Kim Ye-ji to the protagonist of a movie or video game.
Even Elon Musk is impressed: “She should be cast in an action movie. No acting necessary!” (via X)
Some even joke that they wouldn’t mind being targeted by a shooter like her. Others already see the athlete as a playable heroine in a shooter like Valorant (via X) or as a protagonist in the next Final Fantasy (via X).
Another viral post already predicts that Kim Ye-ji will be contacted by legendary Japanese game maker Hideo Kojima, who is known for turning celebrities into video game characters.
Pictures from the Olympic Games show that the athlete is not only cool, but also has a sensitive side: There she apparently carries one of her daughter’s stuffed animals with her while she wins silver at the shooting range:
For many new fans of Kim Ye-ji, however, these pictures are likely to be bittersweet, as the athlete has received several marriage proposals over the past few days via X, formerly Twitter. Others, however, find her all the cooler for it: attractive, cool and a loving mother, that’s just the full package.
While the sporting world of athletes and the nerdy world of gaming and anime fans once seemed very far apart, these topics are now an integral part of pop culture and there are apparently more and more points of contact: A professional athlete loves GTA so much that he has immortalized his favorite cheat