TOYOTA, Japan, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Yerkin Gabbasov from Kazakhstan knew that South Korea's Park Jinho was his friend and the arch rival on the shooting range at the 2026 Asian Para Games.
The 43-year-old fired a Games record 249.1 points in the men's 10m air rifle standing SH1 final on Monday, edging Park Jinho by 0.6 points and reversing their finish at the Paris Paralympics two years ago.
"I was preparing for two years because I wanted to beat my opponent and friend from Korea," Gabbasov said after securing Kazakhstan's first gold of the tournament.
"We are friends in real life, but I wanted to beat him."
Park took gold in Paris, where Gabbasov's silver made him Kazakhstan's first Paralympic shooting medallist.
The Kazakh had already won the same event at the World Cup in Changwon, South Korea, earlier in 2024.
But his route to the international shooting stage had been a long one.
In 2007, Gabbasov fell from a building under construction. He spent two years confined to bed and had to learn to sit in a wheelchair.
He later found work at a public service centre in Kokshetau and tried several sports before taking up shooting seriously in 2021.
Three years later, he was on the Paralympic podium.
His wife Shynar supported him throughout his recovery and sporting career.
Gabbasov has described how she turned him in bed, tended to his medical needs and made plans for their future while he struggled to recover.
She accompanied him to Paris. Asked whether he could have competed without her, Gabbasov said he could not have let his country down.
In Japan, he went one better.
His victory also secured Kazakhstan a shooting quota place for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics. Under the qualification rules, the berth is allocated to the national Paralympic committee.
But qualification had not been on Gabbasov's mind during the final.
"I'm happy. I didn't think about it during the competition. I just shot." Gabbasov has turned the tables for now. With Los Angeles on the horizon, the two friends could yet meet again with Paralympic gold at stake. ■
