Olympic pistol medalist Kim Ye-Ji, who went viral, suddenly collapses

She was in one of two recordings shown around the world. During the first week of the Paris Olympics, a photo of South Korea’s Kim Ye-ji looking very cool while shooting in the women’s 10 meter air pistol competition went viral on social media. This image and another photo – one of Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec looking otherwise cool while shooting – brought a lot of attention to the sport of pistol shooting and to both athletes.

Well, all that attention, along with the stress of competition and international travel, may have taken its toll. After returning to South Korea, 31-year-old Kim collapsed and fainted during a news conference on Friday in Imsil, a province in the southern part of South Korea. Fortunately, she regained consciousness but was taken to hospital for observation until she reportedly made a full recovery.

Speaking of social media, claims were made that Kim had undergone cardiopulmonary resuscitation after her collapse. But there was no evidence that that had actually happened. Yes, it is shocking that claims on social media were not supported by facts.

Kim apparently suffered from something called syncope, which is a nicer way of saying “fainting” when you want to sound smart and all. It happens when there isn’t enough blood going to your brain. There can be many reasons why this can happen, ranging from not a big deal to very serious conditions. Therefore, if you lose consciousness, you should have a medical examination to rule out the bad things.

One of the most common forms of syncope is vasovagal syncope. It’s when your heart rate and blood pressure suddenly drop so that neither is high enough to allow enough blood to flow to your brain. This can happen after standing for a while or experiencing emotional stress. Such a situation is usually not a problem, as long as it does not occur again and again.

Another common type of syncope is situational syncope, an umbrella term for anything caused by a temporary situation that affects your nervous system. This situation may include being dehydrated, in a lot of pain, very hungry, hyperventilating, coughing quite forcefully, or taking alcohol or certain medications. This can only be a one-off.

Postural syncope is another relatively common type of syncope. It happens when you change position quickly, for example from lying or sitting to standing, and effectively not enough blood remains or flows in your head. This is more likely to happen if you are dehydrated or taking certain medications. This can become a bigger problem if it happens repeatedly and in such cases further medical attention may be required.

The main reason you should get checked after you faint is to make sure you don’t have a more serious underlying heart or blood vessel problem that is preventing enough blood from flowing to your brain, such as an abnormal heart rhythm, a problem with the structures of your heart, a heart attack, heart failure, a stroke or seizures. There are a number of other possible causes of syncope, such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and also various medications. It’s not entirely clear what caused Kim’s syncope. But she was probably examined in hospital to rule out more serious possibilities.

What is clear, however, was the attention Kim and Dikec received on social media for their vastly different performances while competing in the Olympics. Kim wore futuristic glasses to help improve her precision and a very cool pose, both of which, in the words of some social media posters, exuded “main character energy” and earned her the nickname “smiling assassin.” Even Elon Musk got involved in the murderer’s admiration, posting on his social media platform X: “[She] should be cast in an action movie. No action required!”

Meanwhile, Dikec, 51, went viral for pretending he had just come off the bench to compete in the 10m air pistol mixed team event with compatriot Sevval Ilayda Tarhan. A widely shared image showed Dikec shooting his gun while wearing a T-shirt and what appeared to be regular glasses. To enhance the nonchalant image, he had one hand in his pocket. All this made him look like a very ordinary man, or a very good assassin who looked very much like a very ordinary man.