China Wins First Shooting Gold at Asiad

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, October 02, 2002

China Wins First Shooting Gold at Asiad

China won the first shooting gold of the Asiad when they took the team title of the women's 10m air rifle event with a new world record.

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China breaks shooting world record in Asiad

China won the first shooting gold of the Asiad when they took the team title of the women's 10m air rifle event with a new world record.

China scored a total of 1,194 points, four more than the previous world record. India came in second on a sum of 1,187 with South Korea third on 1,183.

Later, Chinese marksmen continued China's gold momentum as they took the men's 50m pistol event with a total of 1,690 points.

South Korea finished second on 1,671 with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea placing third on 1,669.

"It is a normal result," Chinese coach Sun Shengwei said of the women's air rifle.

Gao Jing, who scored a total of 398, shared the same view while expressing the satisfaction with her performance.

"I am feeling good, it is a normal result," she said.

"It is the first time for me to participate at the Asian Games, so I was a little nervous but I still did what I could.

Even before the final results came out, she expressed confidence that China would place first in the team competition.

"China should win the team title," she said.

Though finishing second, India also had every reason to be happy for the team silver medal.

"It is the first time in the history that ladies have won a team medal for Indian shooting," said Anjali Bhagwat, India's main medal hopeful for the Asiad.

She said that they would win the team title but they met "tough competition from China and South Korea".

"But we are happy for that (result),"she added.

China had been the world record holder in the women's team competition of the discipline until this summer at the world shooting championship where China lost grip on the world mark.

"So the world mark is beat again in only two months, it would be much harder to break it again,"said Chinese head coach Xu Haifeng.

Xu, however, attached the greatest importance to the men's 50m pistol gold, which had been long dominated by the Chinese marksmen.

But slips cost China both the individual and team gold at this discipline at the Bangkok Asiad in 1998. DPR Korea won both titles.

"I told my charges last night that they have to win this title,"said Xu, who himself had dominated this discipline for long when he was an athlete.

With his orders in mind, the men shooters did feel great pressure in the competition.

"I could not be more nervous," said Wang Yifu, an veteran who has competed in five Olympic Games. Wang scored a total of 571, the highest among the three Chinese shooters.

There are six more golds at stake today with hopes runing high for China to take a lion's share of them.

But Xu played down the chances of gold medals sweep, saying: "It will be enough for us to grab half of them."

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Chinese 1-2 in Women's 10m Air Rifle Final

China Wins Men's 10m Air Rifle Team in Asiad

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