A '10.9-Point' Miracle on the Brink... Ban Hyo-jin and Park Ha-jun Fire a Silver Shot That Silences Japan [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News] The two shooters at the firing line held their breath. A heavy tension hung over the muzzles pointed toward the target. This was a do-or-die showdown, with not only the color of the medal but also their survival in the competition at stake. The gap was 0.8 points. If things continued that way, South Korea faced the risk of slipping to third place behind Japan, which had the home advantage. But at that moment, the strength of Korean shooting flashed. After using a timeout to catch their breath, the pair produced a perfect final shot and completed a dramatic comeback.
Park Ha-jun of KT, the 'present' of Korean shooting, and Ban Hyo-jin of Daegu Public Facilities Corporation, its 'future,' won silver after a dramatic showdown. The two combined for 502.9 points—Ban Hyo-jin with 252.6 and Park Ha-jun with 250.3—to finish second in the final of the shooting 10-meter air rifle mixed team event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Range in Japan on the 22nd. China took first place with a world-record 507.1 points, but the late comeback against third-place Japan, which scored 439.7 points, delivered a thrill equal to that of a gold medal.

The final was a succession of nail-biting contests. South Korea, which reached the final in third place after the qualification round, made a strong start by combining for 104.9 points in the first series and moving into second. Japan began its fierce pursuit in the second series, however. South Korea recorded 209.2 points and fell to third, 0.2 points behind Japan's 209.4. The standings remained unchanged even after each shooter had completed 15 shots. South Korea, with 314.3 points, was still chasing China at 315.7 and Japan at 314.9.
The real battle began in the single-shot elimination stage, when the lower-ranked teams started leaving the competition. After India was eliminated in fourth place, only South Korea, China and Japan remained at the firing line. Needing to overtake Japan for second place, South Korea scored 399.0 points on the first shot, narrowly moving ahead of Japan's 398.8. A critical crisis emerged on the second shot, however. Ban Hyo-jin and Park Ha-jun shot 10.0 and 9.9 points, respectively, while Japan posted high scores and turned the match around. South Korea fell 0.8 points behind Japan. With only one shot left, a 0.8-point deficit is a substantial gap that is difficult to overcome in shooting.

The South Korean bench moved quickly. It called a timeout to break Japan's momentum and calm the two athletes' racing heart rates. When shooting resumed, Ban Hyo-jin's rifle cracked through the silence at the firing line. She scored 10.3 points with a steady shot.
All eyes then turned to Park Ha-jun's fingertips. Under immense pressure, he pulled the trigger, and an astonishing number appeared on the scoreboard: '10.9 points.' It was the most perfect score a human can shoot. Japan's Naoki Hanakawa, unable to withstand the psychological pressure, collapsed with a 9.5, while Misaki Nobata's 10.5 was not enough.

The final score was 440.1 to 439.7. As the standings changed in an instant by just 0.4 points, a bright smile finally spread across Park Ha-jun's previously frozen face. The exhilarating comeback drama, which silenced the home team on hostile ground, was complete. South Korea then advanced to the gold-medal final on that momentum, but could not overcome the formidable concentration of China, represented by Wang Zifei and Sheng Lihao. China surpassed the previous world record of 506.7 points, and South Korea finished the match 3.5 points behind.

This silver medal, however, carries special significance. Park Ha-jun once again showed why he is a standout in mixed-team events. After winning bronze in the mixed team event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and silver in the same event at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, he reached the podium again at this competition, proving that he is particularly strong on major stages and in team events. Following the bronze medal in the men's team event the previous day, he secured his fifth Asian Games medal overall and firmly established himself as a leading figure in Korean shooting.
The 'formidable rookie,' Ban Hyo-jin, was no different. Despite the pressure of competing at her first Asian Games, she won bronze in the women's individual event and then silver, becoming a multiple-medal winner in one stroke. The medal engraved on the final results sheet was silver, but her unyielding determination at the brink of elimination and the miracle of the 10.9-point shot will remain etched in fans' memories as an unforgettable moment.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter