Yi entered the 2012 Olympics ranked number one in the world at the 10 m air rifle. In Olympic competition she scored 399 out of a possible 400 in the preliminary round, tying for first place with Sylwia Bogacka. In the finals at the Royal Artillery Barracks, she turned in a score of 10+ on every shot, while Bogacka had a costly 9.7 on shot eight of ten. Thus, Yi out shot Sylwia Bogacka 103.9 to 103.2 in the finals to win the first gold medal of the 2012 Summer Olympics with a total score of 502.9. Of her victory, Yi commented "My stability help me a lot today and at the same time I think I'm quite lucky".