Gold Rush: China Tops Podium at Paris 2024

China strikes Gold at Paris 2024...

China wins first gold medal of Paris 2024 Olympics in 10-meter air rifle mixed team event, with Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao dominating the competition, following in the footsteps of their predecessors Yang Qian and Yang Haoran who won gold in Tokyo 2020.

China claimed the first gold medal of the 2024 Olympics on Saturday, July 27, in a event held far from the main host city, Paris. The Olympic shooting range in Chateauroux, a three-hour drive from Paris, was the venue for the historic win.

Chinese athletes Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao dominated the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event, quickly building a four-point lead over South Korea's Keum Jihyeon and Park Hajun in the gold medal match. They maintained their advantage, securing a 16-12 victory and China's first gold medal of the Games.

“My main feeling is just happiness. The match was quite hard, but being able to do a personal best performance helped a lot,” Sheng said.

Initially, 17-year-old Huang and 19-year-old Sheng showed subdued excitement after their win, unlike their ecstatic coach. However, their reserve gave way to smiles as they posed for a selfie with bronze medalist Islam Satpayev on the podium, with Sheng even flashing a triumphant thumbs-up.

China's gold medal win in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event marked a repeat victory, as they also took top honors in Tokyo three years ago. Yang Qian and Yang Haoran made history in 2020, winning the inaugural team air rifle shooting event at the Olympics.

Yang Qian had also made a memorable start to the Tokyo Games, winning the first gold medal in the individual 10-meter air rifle event. Notably, she received her medal while wearing a mask, a nod to the pandemic restrictions in place at the time.

Earlier on Saturday, Kazakhstan's Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev secured the first medals of the Paris 2024 Games, claiming bronze in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event. They dominated Germany's Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich, winning 17-5.

“I'm feeling perfect. This was the first (Olympic) competition for me, and I got third place, so it's perfect,” Satpayev said.