China secured the first gold medal of the Paris Olympics at the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event held in Chateauroux, three hours away from Paris. Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao from China clinched the gold by defeating South Korea’s Keum Jihyeon and Park Hajun with a score of 16-12. Sheng expressed his happiness after achieving a personal best performance. Despite initially subdued celebrations, the young athletes eventually smiled and showed their excitement on the podium.
This victory marks China’s second consecutive gold in this event, following their win in Tokyo three years ago. The Chinese duo of 17-year-old Huang and 19-year-old Sheng continued their country’s success in team air rifle shooting. In Tokyo, Yang Qian and Yang Haoran had claimed the gold medal in this newly introduced Olympic discipline. Yang Qian had also won the first gold medal of those games in the individual 10-meter air rifle event.
Earlier on Saturday, Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev secured the bronze medal by defeating Germany’s Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich with a score of 17-5. Satpayev expressed his delight at winning his first Olympic medal, describing the experience as “perfect.”
These achievements set the stage for a thrilling start to the Paris Olympics, with athletes showcasing their talent and determination in pursuit of Olympic glory.
