On July 27, 2024, exciting news came from the shooting range of the Paris Olympic Games. In the mixed team 10m air rifle final, the Chinese pair Huang Yuting/Sheng Lihao won the gold medal with excellent performance, winning the first gold medal for the Chinese delegation in this Olympic Games. This victory not only marks the continued strength of the Chinese shooting team on the Olympic stage. It also made Sheng Lihao the first male athlete for China to win the first Olympic gold medal in 16 years since Pang Wei in 2008, creating a new history.
Looking back at the last four Olympic Games, the first gold medalists of the Chinese team are all female players. At the 2012 London Olympics, Yi Siling won the first gold medal for China in the women's 10m air rifle event. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Zhang Mengxue reproduced her glory in the women's 10m air pistol event. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, rookie Yang Qian won the championship in the women's 10m air rifle competition. In the Paris Olympics, Sheng Lihao and his partner Huang Yuting's victory in the mixed team event not only continued the glory of the Chinese shooting team, but also broke the situation that the first gold medal of the Chinese Olympic Games in recent years was won by female athletes.
Sheng Lihao's success is not accidental. As a leader of the new generation of the Chinese shooting team, he has achieved great results in the international arena in the past few years. At the 2022 World Championships in Cairo, Sheng Lihao won the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle event, showing his strength and potential. Partnering with Huang Yuting to participate in the mixed team competition this time gave full play to the respective advantages of male and female athletes, and demonstrated the adaptability and tactical literacy of the Chinese shooting team in dealing with the new competition system.
It is worth noting that the rules of the shooting events at this Olympic Games have been adjusted. The IOC has added a number of mixed team events to promote gender equality, including the 10m air rifle mixed team. This change not only tests the individual ability of the athletes, but also requires them to have a good team spirit. The tacit understanding between Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting is the embodiment of the achievements of the Chinese shooting team in cultivating all-round talents under the new situation.
Behind the success is hard work. It is understood that in order to prepare for the Olympic Games, the Chinese shooting team has conducted closed training for several months. The coaching team has developed a detailed training plan for each athlete's characteristics, including physical, mental and technical aspects. Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting invested a lot of time in the mixed team event, repeatedly running-in, and finally showed excellent competitive form on the field.
This gold medal is much more than just a win in a race. It shows the continued competitiveness of Chinese sports on the Olympic stage, and also reflects the development direction of China's sports industry in the new era. The success of the mixed team event demonstrates the forward-looking and flexible nature of Chinese sports in adapting to international sports trends. At the same time, the male athlete won the first gold medal again after many years, which also injected new vitality into the balanced development of Chinese sports.
IOC President Thomas Bach said after the game that it was impressive for the Chinese team to achieve such a good result on the first day of competition. In particular, he stressed the importance of the mixed team programme in promoting gender equality in the Olympic Movement, which he said represented the future direction of the Games.
The person in charge of the China Shooting Association said in an interview that the victory of Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting is the result of scientific training and talent training in China's shooting sports in recent years. The association will continue to increase its efforts to nurture young athletes and prepare for the Paris Olympics and beyond.
Sheng Lihao said in a post-match interview: "I am extremely proud to have won the first gold medal of this Olympic Games for my country. This achievement is the result of the joint efforts of me and Huang Yuting, and it is also inseparable from the efforts of the coaching team and logistics support personnel. We will continue to work hard and strive for better results in the next races." "
The performance of the Chinese shooting team in this Olympic Games is worth looking forward to. In addition to the 10m air rifle mixed team, which has already won gold. The Chinese team also has good strength in other events. With the deepening of the competition, we have reason to believe that more Chinese shooters will shine in the Paris Olympics.
The gold medal for Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting is not only a reward for personal efforts, but also a microcosm of the vigorous development of China's sports industry. It is not only a tribute to the hard work of Chinese Olympic athletes in the past 16 years, but also a new starting point for the future. Under the guidance of the Olympic spirit, Chinese sports will surely continue to write a new glorious chapter on the world stage.