Olympics | China's Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao earn 1st Paris Olympics gold in 10m air rifle mixed team

CHATEAUROUX, France, July 27 (Xinhua) -- World champion shooters Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao set off China's Paris Olympics campaign to a golden start, winning the Games' first gold medal with victory in the 10m air rifle mixed team event here on Saturday.

The Chinese teenage duo defeated Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun of South Korea 16-12 in the gold medal match at the Chateauroux Shooting Center. Earlier on Saturday, Kazakhstan's Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev beat Germany's Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich 17-5 to claim the bronze medal.

"I feel very happy and privileged to win this gold medal," said a calm Huang at the press conference. "This medal is a periodical result, but at the same time a new beginning."

The gold medal match was intense with China taking a 6-2 lead, but South Korea gnawed closely behind. Chinese sharpshooters were once one-step away from the title at 14-8, but the South Koreans refused to give up, closing the gap to 14-12, thanks to a double 10.7 points.

Seeing the chance to equalize, Keum shot 10.5 and Park 10.6, putting pressure on the Chinese team. Sheng responded with a 10.7, leaving the final shot to Huang, who secured the victory with a 10.8.

"I was extremely nervous at the moment," recalled 17-year-old Huang on the key moment of her Olympic debut. "I kept telling myself to focus on my performance and stay concentrated, giving myself positive mental cues."

The victory echoed China's triumph in the event's Olympic debut three years ago in Tokyo, where Yang Qian and Yang Haoran were crowned. After the win, the Chinese teenagers allowed themselves a moment of celebration, with Sheng raising his fist in response to their excited coach Yao Ye.

Despite their young age, Huang and Sheng entered the Paris Olympics as hot favorites, having been nearly unbeatable as a pair since 2023. They claimed gold at the 2023 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. They also set a new world junior qualification record with 635.1 points on their way to their fourth consecutive World Cup victory in Munich, Germany, in June before coming to Paris.

"The Olympic Games is a rare opportunity in life. I must move forward bravely to seize this opportunity, staying persistent and determined, not giving up during the process, and leaving no regrets for myself," Huang said after securing her berth for Paris 2024.

Sheng, meanwhile, competing in his second Olympic Games, was the youngest Olympic medalist in Tokyo with a silver in men's 10m air rifle at the age of 16 years and 233 days.

"Tokyo was my first Olympics and I was pretty immature both technically and mentally," said Sheng. "I accumulated experience and keep reflecting on myself matches after matches and this time the gold medal was a result of my hard work."

In the qualification round, Huang demonstrated remarkable stability, averaging more than 10.5 points per shot. Sheng managed to overcome early fluctuations after a time-out, and the pair finished first with 632.2 points, just one point shy of the Olympic qualification record.

"I indeed encountered some difficulties in the opening shots and I realized that I overburdened myself. My coach told me to concentrate solely on what I should be doing at the moment and I managed to make prompt adjustment," said Sheng, who made three 10.7 shots after the time-out.

Keum and Park, both born in 2000, were also making their Olympic debut, and combined for 631.4 points in the qualification to secure a medal for the South Korean delegation.

Confessing that the silver was beyond her expectation, Keum at the same time voiced determination to emerge victorious in the competition against their Chinese peers one day.

"We have total respect to Chinese athletes, they are very good. But we also believe that Korean athletes are getting closer and closer to catch up with them. We both had good performance today, but someday in the future we hope to win as well," Keum said through an interpreter.

Huang and Sheng's gold medal was the 27th Olympic gold in shooting for powerhouse China, which achieved historic breakthrough 40 years ago right in this sport when Xu Haifeng won China's first-ever Olympic gold in men's free pistol event at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.

This also marks the fifth time China bagged the opening gold of the Olympic Games, with Du Li, Yi Siling and Yang Qian following Xu's winning steps in women's 10m air rifle in 2004, 2016 and 2021 respectively.