Kim, 32, won silver in the women's 10m air pistol at this summer's Paris Olympics and captured the internet's attention with her nonchalant cool. But she told AFP that she fell into her sport by accident.

When her middle school teacher asked for volunteers to try shooting, Kim did not raise her hand but was selected anyway. Despite being too small to hoist the pistol, she was hooked.

"I thought it looked cool," Kim, dressed in an oversized black suit and heels after a commercial photoshoot, told AFP at a shooting range in Seoul. Her visit to the venue prompted gasps of excitement from other young Koreans at the firing line.

Her parents strongly opposed her taking up shooting, but "for three days, I didn't eat and just cried, begging to be allowed," Kim said. Eventually, they relented.

"I didn't have a clear goal when it came to my studies. But with shooting... I knew I had to be the best," she said.

She has dedicated her life to shooting ever since. In Paris, she said she had a "single goal -- winning a medal."

She was not using social media at the time, viewing it as "toxic" and a distraction from training, so she was initially unaware when videos of her shooting started going viral.

At a photo session with other medalists in Paris, where journalists told her she had "a lot of Brazilian fans" and asked her to greet them in Portuguese, she started to realise something had happened.

"I didn't think of myself as special, and I still don't," she told AFP.

"There are many other medalists with lots of fans, and I just see myself as one of them."

– Internet sensation –

The video that launched Kim to stardom shows her in an all-black uniform, a backwards baseball cap and wire-rimmed shooting glasses while taking aim and firing. After breaking the world record she barely reacts, glancing at her score calmly as the crowd applauds.

The clip, which was actually taken from a competition in May 2024, triggered an internet frenzy, with people hailing her "main character" energy, and Elon Musk calling for her to be cast in an action movie, "no acting required".

Videos of her Olympic performance quickly went viral, but the preternatural calm which captivated the internet's attention is simply how she shoots, she said.

"I wasn't initially good at concentrating," she said, but she was advised to keep her gaze ultra-focused at the firing line.

She found this "helped me concentrate, and to calm my nerves".

She said she is a "naturally restless person", but when she shoots "my arm is not just my arm anymore; it's all part of the gun".

"When holding the gun, everything must be perfectly fixed in place. Nothing should move -- wrist, hand, or any other part. I think of it all as part of the gun."

- Fame, humbly -

When Kim returned to South Korea after the Olympics, she was inundated with interview requests, invited to model for brands like Louis Vuitton, and even appear in a short movie -- as an assassin -- with Indian actress Anushka Sen.

She says she is "grateful and happy" for the attention, particularly as it has boosted interest in the sport she loves, and that her family has helped her stay humble.

"My father told me: 'I think people are overreacting a bit when you just won silver'", she says laughing, adding that her six-year-old daughter also likes to cheekily point out her mum "didn't win gold".

Kim says she sees no conflict between her life as an elite shooter and a fledgling celebrity. She still trains five days a week, fitting in photo shoots and interviews in her spare time.

She is now focused on winning gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and believes she is only just hitting her sporting prime.

"In terms of shooting, it's less about age and more about individual skill," she said, plus preparation and effort.

"This year and last have been my best seasons, and if I continue to work hard, I think I'll keep performing well," she said, adding that she hopes to compete until she is 50 years old.

Since the viral videos, "people refer to me as 'shooter Kim Ye-ji' rather than just 'Kim Ye-ji'", she said.

"I want to continue my work so that the word 'shooter' will always be remembered."

kjk/ceb/lb

© Agence France-Presse

Sitting cheek by jowl with the city's Canal Belt, the once working class Jordaan neighbourhood is the setting for a new musical which its producers said captured the essence of the Dutch capital and its residents.

"We specifically designed a musical to celebrate Amsterdam's 750th anniversary," said Marc Muller, producer at the DeLaMar Theatre where the musical "Onze Jordaan" (Our Jordaan) hit the planks to a full house on Wednesday evening.

"From October 27 the city will enter its year-long celebration and we thought a musical is an ideal way to contribute to the festivities," Muller told AFP, a few hours before the show opened to the public.

Any mention of the Jordaan in the Netherlands will immediately be greeted by a knowing smile.

For many Dutch citizens, Amsterdam is best exemplified not by its gritty and notorious red light district, but by the Jordaan.

"This is the best neighbourhood in the Netherlands," Evert Jansen told AFP during a visit.

"The best actors, the best singers, the best footballers are all from here -- (Ruud) Gullit and (Johan) Cruyff. The best comes from here," said Jordaan born-and-bred Jansen, 82, sporting a typical Amsterdam flat cap.

- 'Most famous neighbourhood' -

Built in parallel to the Canal Belt during the so-called Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century, many of its streets and canals today still carry the names of plants and flowers.

Historians say one of the possible origins of the neighbourhood's name, the Jordaan, comes from the French word "jardin", meaning garden.

Back in the 17th century many of its residents were migrants from all over Europe, working in the city's factory and harbour "all attracted by the wealth of Amsterdam," said Annemarie de Wildt, historian and former curator of the Amsterdam Museum.

The Jordaan's population grew exponentially for the next two centuries and living conditions plummeted.

But even back then, the neighbourhood became famous for its music and singing -- especially when Italian labourers brought their love of opera to the Jordaan's tiny streets.

Bel canto, a smooth operatic style of singing, was soon incorporated into the Jordaan's music tradition.

This continued into the 20th century, said De Wildt.

"Somehow... the Jordaan had a sort-of notorious culture of its own, characterised by a lot of music, theatre," she told AFP.

"People started writing novels about the Jordaan, making films about the Jordaan, a whole genre of songs started."

"In that sense I think it's one of the most famous neighbourhoods of the whole of the Netherlands," she said.

For the producers of the musical "Onze Jordaan" it was the ideal mix.

"You need several ingredients to make a musical: a good story to start with, and the Jordaan on many levels has a good story to tell," said Muller.

"You need a culture that's easy to explain to the whole of the Netherlands and very importantly, fitting music, music that people know."

"And because of this combination, we've chosen the Jordaan," he said.

- 'All sorts of people' -

Dressed in black leather a pair of aviator sunglasses, long-haired long-time Jordaan local Michiel Hooidonk sipped an ice-cold Heineken beer as he surveyed passers-by at his local bar, the Cafe 't Monumentje).

"I've lived here for the past 20 years. I don't ever really leave the neighbourhood," the 63-year-old self-confessed "ageing rocker" told AFP.

"You can feel it. The warmth, the coziness but sometimes also the conflicts. That's why I think all sorts of people move here," added crystal shop owner Laura Adriaanse.

But many residents like Hooidonk and Jansen said the neighbourhood was changing as gentrification creeps in.

The Jordaan saw an exodus of residents in the 1960s fleeing substandard housing, leading to an influx of students and artists cashing in on cheap accommodation.

House prices have since rocketed and today the Jordaan is one of the most upmarket and expensive locations in the Netherlands.

"Earlier we had 60,000 people, real 'Jordaanese'," lamented Jansen.

"Now you only see Porsches and Land Rovers on the streets," he said.

But younger generations said they welcomed the changes.

"The population has changed, which I really like, so everything is kind of the same, but at the same time the people are changing," said Melody Musscher, 20, whose family was from the Jordaan.

"And that's really cool to see," she said.

jhe/sbk/gv

© Agence France-Presse

The three-time world champion’s two 10-second penalties and sixth-placed finish allowed McLaren's Lando Norris to trim 10 points off his lead as he came home second behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz – setting up an intriguing run-in over the next four race weekends.

AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from the dramas at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez:

Verstappen’s penalties

After enjoying the benefit of a stewards' decision in Austin, where he clashed with Norris during the United States Grand Prix, Max Verstappen experienced the reverse outcome twice on Sunday as the Mexican race stewards set a precedent for new terms of engagement.

After a commanding victory by Carlos Sainz, it was clear that Red Bull were no longer likely to enjoy the benefit of the Dutchman's aggressive style of defence and may suffer again in upcoming races.

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff, who has frequently complained that it was a stewards’ decision in Verstappen’s favour that cost seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton his eighth drivers’ title at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, explained.

"A driver will always push to the limit and when the rules - the execution of the rules or interpretation of the rules - allow a certain way of racing then a driver like Max is always going to exploit it," said Wolff.

"And I think now there has been a new interpretation, execution of those regulations. I think it will change the way everybody races in the future. You won't see that anymore.

"I believe that you've probably got to leave space on the outside of the corner if the car is next to you -- braking late and taking the other car off whilst also driving off track, I think that's not allowed anymore."

The penalties were generally received well in the paddock as a signal that a change of interpretation had taken place – and for some it was long expected as well as welcome.

Hamilton laughed as he recalled: "I could see a group of cars ahead and I saw a plume of smoke, like dust and I knew what it was - I knew it must have been him - Like, for sure it was him!”

Asked about the vexed issue of the sporting legality of Verstappen’s moves, Hamilton added: “Well, it's always been a grey area. And that’s why he’s got away with it for so long.

“I experienced this many times with Max. You shouldn’t be able to just launch the car up the inside and be ahead and then go off – and still hold position.”

The outcome was that Verstappen heads to Brazil for the Sao Paulo race, the third of a triple-header, with a lead of 47 points on Norris but set for another penalty – this time for a likely change of engine.

Hamilton timing spot on

Lewis Hamilton may not have won Sunday’s Mexican race, but he had every reason to celebrate a second successive Ferrari victory, knowing he will be racing for the in-form team next year.

By rich irony, just as the triumphant Carlos Sainz has shown his best form and the full support of team and family, he knows he is departing a team on the way up under team boss Fred Vasseur.

Just as he did in 2013 when he unexpectedly left McLaren to join Mercedes, the Briton appears to have timed his transfer well and he will enjoy a reunion with Vasseur who helped guide him to success in the Formula Three Euroseries as a junior driver.

Leclerc targets second

Charles Leclerc was a rare outlier in the reaction to Verstappen's penalties because, as a Ferrari driver, he hopes to enjoy the team’s current form and overhaul Norris in the drivers’ title race.

"I welcome Max being as aggressive to Lando as possible," he said. "It helps me at least it gives me a chance to get closer to Lando in the drivers title race because it is still a fight.

"If anything, it is more of a fight between me and Lando than with Max. I  will just try to do my best to the end of the season and see."

str/nr

© Agence France-Presse

Kerr, who was named Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament, top-scored with 43 as New Zealand posted an imposing 158-5 in their 20 overs.

The 24-year-old from Wellington then took 3-24, crucially picking up the key wickets of Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch, to restrict South Africa to 126-9 in their 20 overs.

"We all know she is a once in a generation player," said New Zealand captain Sophie Devine.

"What she was able to do tonight was incredible. Physically to do what she did with the bat, I think she can't feel her legs.

"She is not a bad cricketer but the person that she is, the world is her oyster."

Victory marked a sweet finish to Devine's own career.

The win came 14 years after the White Ferns lost to Australia by just three runs in the 2010 final. They also lost to England in the 2009 championship match.

It also marks a remarkable change of form as they had lost 10 T20Is coming into the tournament. They had won just five of their previous 22 before their eye-catching win over India in their opening game.

"I started to dream last night about what it feels to hold the trophy with this team," said Devine.

"The great thing about this group is we know what we have been trying to achieve in the last 15, 18, 24 months.

"We kept taking steps in right directions, you want momentum and we came to the World Cup on the back of 10 successive losses. But everyone starts on zero."

For South Africa, who demolished six-time winners Australia in the semi-final, it made for a double disappointment having lost last year's final to the Aussies in Cape Town.

"Our focus was just to reset, not get too ahead of ourselves," said skipper Wolvaardt.

"We knew that we still had a really quality opponent in New Zealand to go and yeah, we just didn't play our best cricket tonight."

- Kiwi aggression -

After being put in to bat, the New Zealand openers began aggressively with Suzie Bates, playing in her 334th international, making a rapid 32.

When Devine was leg before to Nadine de Klerk on review, the innings appeared to be faltering but the arrival of Brooke Halliday lifted the tempo as she added 57 in seven overs with Kerr for the fourth wicket.

Halliday hit three boundaries in her 38 but was dismissed when she picked out Bosch on the midwicket boundary.

Kerr slammed back-to-back boundaries off Mlaba before finding Tazmin Brits to fall for 43 from 38 balls.

Maddy Green, however, maintained the momentum with 12 off six balls including the only six of the innings.

Wolvaardt (33) and Brits (17) got South Africa off to a roaring start bringing up the 50 in the seventh over before three wickets fell in quick succssion.

Brits was caught by Green at long-on before Kerr in her second over removed both of South Africa's main batters, Wolvaardt for 33 and Bosch, who had played so well in the win over Australia

South Africa had slumped to 64-3 and New Zealand were in command.

With the required run rate rising, South Africa's middle and lower order, who have barely batted in this tournament, struggled to get going with wickets tumbling at regular intervals.

- Memorable day -

Kerr took a catch to remove Nadine de Klerk and then claimed a third wicket when Bates, arguably the outstanding fielder at the tournament, took her third catch of the innings to remove Annerie Dercksen. Kerr finished with a tournament-leading 15 wickets.

Fast bowler Rosemary Mair made her presence felt with 3-25 as the tail folded.

The last pair held out for the final over but could not prevent New Zealand from celebrating their first title.

Victory completed a memorable day for New Zealand cricket after the men's team clinched a first Test win in India for 36 years earlier Sunday.

bsp/dj

© Agence France-Presse

Now a first-of-its-kind course at an Irish university is teaching wannabe influencers how to convert online presence and content on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube into revenue streams.

"Influencing is something that's catching fire," course director Irene McCormick told AFP at South East Technological University (SETU) in Carlow, an hour's drive southwest from the capital Dublin.

The idea grew out of a summer crash course "Digital Hustle" launched by McCormick that was taught by TikTokers and attracted 350 applicants for 30 places.

"It got amazing traction, we could see the appetite for more, so we broadened it to degree level," said McCormick, a former television producer and director.

After two years of development the course -- a four-year-long bachelor's degree in "Content Creation and Social Media" -- received accreditation and welcomed its first intake of 15 students last month.

On the state-of-the-art campus, students chatted, took selfies and scrolled their social media feeds on smartphones during a break between classes.

"My friends tell me I talk a lot so I thought I might as well make money out of it and try this course," Harry Odife, 22, told AFP in the campus TV studio during a roleplay exercise.

Most of the students are already immersed in the digital space or working in it and want to expand their toolset and knowledge, McCormick said.

"You can try to learn yourself at home but being empowered with practice and theory about how to connect with target demographics online is going to make a big difference to your career," she added.

- Person branding -

The term "influencer" was officially added to the dictionary in 2019, and refers to a person well-known through use of social media who uses their celebrity to endorse, promote, or generate interest in products and brands, often for payment.

Now the most prominent such as YouTube challenge stunt creator Mr Beast and gaming vlogger KSI tap vast online audiences, earning huge sums per sponsored post or via brand sponsorships and advertisements.

Surveys consistently show that most Gen-Z youths -- those born between 1997 and 2012 -- would consider a job as a vlogger, YouTuber or professional streamer.

"Of course people want to make money from influencing, so we look particularly at person branding, how to monetise being influential over large online followings," said McCormick.

Students said they hoped the course would help them leverage their interests and hobbies which range from beauty and fashion to entertainment, social justice, and sport.

"I post a lot of the hairstyles I do on TikTok and Instagram, it would be nice to have the knowledge to grow that into an actual business," said Favour Ehuchie, an 18-year-old hairdresser.

Another student, keen equestrian Marta Hughes Bravo, said horse stud farms now seek staff who are social media-savvy.

"Companies are all over Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. One girl who works for a farm has been pulling in brand deals. To know how to do that would be fantastic," she said.

- 'Serious business' -

Degree modules include creative video and storytelling psychology, entrepreneurship, celebrity studies, storytelling psychology, data analytics, and podcasting.

"A lot of people think it's an easy life being an influencer, just posting 60-second videos on TikTok, but there is way more to it," said Hughes Bravo.

Creating content involves "editing, planning, organising, and so on, it takes up more time than you might think, people don't understand that quite yet."

Practical elements of the course include camera and microphone learning, and work placements.

"Having influencer knowledge like how to be comfortable in front of cameras will help us build our confidence, whatever we end up doing," said another student Naoise Kelly, adding that becoming the next big thing on social media is not her top priority.

McCormick said employment opportunities for influencer talent are multiplying exponentially, either in front of camera or behind the scenes.

"Yes, influencer posts on social media may sometimes be frivolous, but the actual business is not, it is a very serious business," she added.

"So many Gen Z young people buy a lot of bling, and that bling is being sold through influencers.

"Around 70 percent of marketers now believe in influencers as the future of marketing, governments are also using them to message people, that's how we access markets now."

pmu/phz/gv

© Agence France-Presse