China's rifle, pistol shooters dominate 2022 World Championships

Huang Yuting (L) /Yang Haoran of China pose for photos after 10m air rifle mixed team gold medal match against South Korea at the ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

China finished the world championships for rifle and pistol with an unmatchable 27 golds and all possible 8 Olympic quotas.

CAIRO, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese rifle and pistol shooters are ready to take home dozens of medals as the 2022 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championships concluded here on Thursday.

China bagged a total of 58 medals - 27 gold, 16 silver and 15 bronze - to take an unmatchable lead on the tally, followed by India with 12 golds and 34 in total, in the big event that gathered over 1,000 shooters from more than 80 countries and regions.

The shooting powerhouse also earned all eight possible Olympic quota spots offered at the championships in Cairo, as the ISSF competitions offer 32 spots, evenly split to eight Olympic individual events, as part of the qualification process for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

This makes China the NOC with the most Paris tickets in shooting so far, after rifle, pistol and shotgun quotas were allocated in the European and World Championships.

"We have accomplished our goals at the world championships, and the fruitful results boosted the confidence and morale of our team," said Liang Chun, director of China's Shooting and Archery Management Center.

Li Yuehong (2nd L) of China competes during the 25m rapid fire pistol team men's gold medal match against Ukraine at the ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

According to Liang, the ISSF made multiple changes to rules after the Tokyo Olympic Games, which adds more occasionality to the matches and requires from athletes greater capabilities to handle pressure and give stable performances.

Throughout the competitions, Chinese rifle and pistol shooters were the most frequent ascenders of the winner's podium and the national flag of China was often the highest. They took four gold medals from the 10 Olympic events competed at the shooting range of Egypt's new Olympic city complex, the most among all participating teams.

To make it even better, the young gunners of China demonstrated strong competitiveness on the big stage. 13 of the 24 athletes that feature in senior competitions were born after 2000, and some were able to win medals, or even gold ones, in their international debut. For example, 16-year-old Huang Yuting bagged a silver in women's 10m air rifle and a gold in mixed team.

In the junior events, Du Linshu won five golds and two silver medals and his teammate Pang Yuqian claimed four golds as Chinese shooters took more than half of the gold medals on offer.

Du Linshu presents his medal. (Provided to Xinhua by the Chinese rifle team)

Wang Lian, vice director of China's Shooting and Archery Management Center and manager of the Chinese team, said that good preparation and hard training were behind China's outstanding performance during the ISSF World Championships.

"We've started preparing for this season since November 2021, right after the Tokyo Olympic Games. Ever since, our athletes have been dedicating themselves to training for almost a whole year," Wang said.

China's performance impressed spectators, some of whom were keen to take photos with the Chinese shooters, as well as organizers and hosts of the championships.

"The Chinese team achieved the largest number of medals, followed by the Indian team. This is considered a success for the sports system in China, which is so obvious in the championships," said Hazem Hosny, head of the Egyptian Shooting Federation (ESF).

"I believe the number of medals they got is the result of long years of hard work," the ESF president told Xinhua.

Miao Wanru of China competes won the women's 50m rifle 3 positions at the ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 21, 2022. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

For his part, Uwe Fuchs, chief range officer for the finals at the ISSF World Championships, said he was not surprised that China was the best nation at the championships.

"Although the Chinese weren't seen in many events in the past two years due to COVID-19, it was expected since the Chinese shooters have always been very good and won many medals in past big events, including Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cups," the German chief range officer noted.

However, director Liang pointed out that there was still room for improvement as the team prepares for future competitions.

"Especially in 25m and 50m events, our athletes are not as good as the top shooters in the world and they lack experience," he said.

Liu Yukun and Lu Zhiming finished fifth and sixth in men's 50m rifle three positions and 25m rapid fire pistol respectively, enough to obtain Olympic quotas for China, but not that ideal compared with a gold and a bronze won by the Chinese delegation at the Tokyo Olympics.

Jiang Ranxin (2nd L) of China competes in 10m air pistol mixed team bronze medal match together with Zhang Bowen against teammates Li Xue/Liu Jinyao of China at the ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Zhao Yuqing, manager of the Chinese pistol team, kept a cool mind that there were problems to sort out in future training, including on-the-spot performance, after the satisfying worlds trip.

"There's no shortcut to success in shooting. The only path is to work hard, in a scientific way," he said.

Vice director Wang also warned the athletes to continue their dedication in everyday training to be able to earn their own ticket to Paris 2024.

"No one can be 100 percent sure that he or she will have a place in the Chinese delegation for Paris. They earned quotas, but they are for the Chinese Olympic Committee. They have to work even harder and compete with their teammates through a comprehensive qualification system. Only the best two athletes in each event can have the chance to go to Paris," Wang said.