Chinese Team Claims Two More Gold Medals at World Shooting Championships
On September 19th, the Chinese shooting team continued its dominance at the World Shooting Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan, by securing two additional gold medals. The International Shooting Sports Federation reported that the team also took home silver medals and team silver medals in the women’s 10-meter air rifle, as well as individual silver and team gold medals in the men’s 10-meter air rifle event. These victories have secured two Paris Olympic seats for the team.
The women’s 10-meter air rifle competition saw Han Jiayu, a debutante in the World Championships, surpass her teammate Wang Zhilin in the second half of the final to claim the gold medal with an impressive score of 251.4. Wang Zhilin came in second place. Indian players secured the third and fourth spots, with the Indian team winning the team championship.
In the men’s 10-meter air rifle event, Yang Haoran, a shooting star, ranked first in the qualifying round with a score of 633.9. Despite his exceptional performance, he lost to a 20-year-old Swedish player, Lindgren, by a mere 0.7 in the final. As a result, Lindgren clinched the gold medal while Yang Haoran settled for silver. Nevertheless, this second-place finish secured an additional Olympic ticket for the Chinese team. Another rising star in the Chinese team, Du Linshu, advanced to the final and claimed sixth place.
With the men’s and women’s 10-meter air pistol gold medals won by Zhang Bowen and Jiang Ranxin on the 17th, the Chinese team has already secured eight Olympic seats across the air pistol and air rifle categories. As per the regulations, the team can now actively participate in the Olympic Games’ two mixed team events of air pistol and air rifle.
Sheng Lihao, 18, and Huang Yuting, 16, both won Olympic tickets for the Chinese team at last year’s World Championships. In this year’s competition, their partners competed in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event and emerged victorious. This marked Sheng Lihao’s first World Championship title as well.
On the same day, a men’s flying saucer two-way competition also took place. The competition proved to be highly competitive, with two players hitting all 125 targets in the qualifying round. After a tense playoff, six individuals battled for the final spot, which was ultimately settled after 24 shots. Despite China’s best score of 119, the team narrowly missed the final, finishing 13th. Amy Mitas of Greece claimed the individual championship title.
In the medal tally, the Chinese team currently leads with an impressive seven gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals. Notably, four of these gold medals were won in Olympic events.
The Chinese shooting team’s remarkable success continues to impress, showcasing their dominance and skill on the world stage. With the Paris Olympics on the horizon, anticipation grows for their performance in the upcoming events.