Chinese contestants Jin Yongde (center), Xie Zhenxiang (left) and Yao Zhaonan (right) take a group photo after winning a gold medal during the men's 25 meter Military Rapid Fire Pistol Team competition at the seventh CISM Military World Games, on Oct 19, 2019. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/chinadaily.com.cn]
The news of China's first gold at the seventh Military World Games cheered the home crowd, but the gold-winning team said it was not an easy win.
China's shooting team took the first gold in the 25 meter military rapid fire pistol men's team event, beating Russia and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to top the podium in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province on Saturday.
Three elite shooters, Jin Yongde, Xie Zhenxiang and Yao Zhaonan, of Team China scored a total of 1,747 points to win the title. Russia took the silver with 1,743 points, while DPRK settled in third with 1,742 points.
In the first round, Xie Zhenxiang hit 585 out of 600 points despite a minor error in his last shot, ranking second behind 2016 Olympic silver medalist Jean Quiquampoix of France with 587 points. The second round saw veteran Jin Yongde, who won his first Asian Games title in 1998, hit 583 points for the Chinese team.
The final round was a close duel between China and Russia. Russia took the lead in the middle of the round, but Yao Zhaonan rallied to fire 579 points in front of the home fans for the comeback win.
"It was not an easy win. It was a close competition," said Cao Baomin, deputy head and spokesman of the Chinese delegation.
"Last night, veteran Jin was also a torchbearer at the opening ceremony. So, it was already passed midnight when he returned to rest. It was a challenge for him to compete this morning.
"But all of our three players cooperated together, overcame the difficulties and always put the national interest at first."
Team official Li Liya revealed more details.
"The pistol of Xie malfunctioned in the first round," said Li to media after the competition. "It was not fully fixed till the end. So he was influenced by it.
Li said that Yao was not that focused enough during the competition. The coach talked to him and helped him to adjust the mentality.
"We had two brief talks with him during the competition. We told him to shoot resolutely and display our tactics," Li said.
"He's also an experienced athlete. I believe the experience this time could help him to grow."
