The South Korean junior shooting team secured a bronze medal in the men's 10m air pistol team event at the 2026 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Championship.
According to Yonhap News Agency on June 23, the team, consisting of Kim Dong-bin (Kyungnam University), Kang Byeong-mu, and Lee Hyun-jun (both from Korea National Sport University), finished third with a total score of 1,714 points in the competition held in Germany.
Poland claimed the gold medal with a score of 1,718, while India took silver with 1,717 points. South Korea finished just four points behind Poland and three points behind India.
The competition was closely contested, with Taiwan finishing fourth with 1,711 points and Ukraine in sixth with 1,706 points, a mere 12-point difference separating fourth to sixth places, making the final rankings difficult to predict until the end.
Kang Byeong-mu expressed his satisfaction after the event, stating, "I am happy that all the athletes did their best to achieve a good result," but added, "I feel a bit regretful that we could have aimed for gold if we had prepared a little more." He also noted, "Based on the experience and confidence gained from this competition, we will strive to perform well on bigger stages in the future."
Both Lee Hyun-jun, who made his international debut, and Kim Dong-bin, competing in his second international event, expressed their determination to use this experience as a stepping stone for better results in future competitions.
Yeo Gap-soon, the former air rifle coach, praised the athletes for adapting well to the competitive atmosphere, highlighting Kang Byeong-mu's focus in the final moments of the event as crucial to securing the bronze medal.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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