Olympian who went viral hospitalised after collapsing at press conference

South Korean Olympic pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji caused panic after collapsing at a news conference on Friday.

Kim, who became an overnight social media sensation for her cool manner whilst competing at the games, was speaking at an event in Imsil, South Korea when she collapsed.

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Stress and exhaustion are believed to be the reason behind the star’s worrying turn.

A county official said Kim regained consciousness and was taken to hospital but did not require CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

The 31-year-old is expected to remain in hospital for observation until doctors are satisfied that she has fully recovered.

The official added that Kim was likely suffering tiredness after her exploits at the Paris Olympics.

Kim landed the silver medal in the 10-metre air pistol event and in doing so, became a favourite due to her attire and persona.

She was lauded for her style which saw her don a pair of futuristic glasses to improve her precision coupled with her cool, laid-back style which earned her the nickname ‘smiling assassin.’

Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and owner of social media platform X, also took a liking to Kim claiming she ‘should be cast in an action movie. No acting required!’

The shooter thanked Musk for making her famous and replied: “I received a lot of unexpected attention and I believe it’s thanks to Elon Musk rather than myself. So, thank you.” 

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Kim went viral alongside Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, who also dream attention for his style in Paris, winning silver in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol.

The 51-year-old’s hand-in-pocket, casual approach to the sport has seen him inspire celebrations of many famous athletes, including Swedish pole vault star Armand Duplantis.

Kim broke the world record in the 25m pistol women’s event in May and carried her form into her first Olympic games, putting on a fine showing to claim her first medal.