On Saturday, China secured the first gold medal of the Paris 2024 Olympics with a victory in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Final, held at Chateauroux. The China duo, Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao, overcame an early deficit to defeat the Republic of Korea’s Kim Jihyeon and Park Hajun with a score of 16-12. Despite losing the first round, Huang and Sheng displayed consistent performance and did not trail again.
China Clinches First Gold
In the preliminary rounds, Kazakh shooters Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev initially took the lead by winning the first round 21.4-20.7. However, Germany’s Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich fought hard to level the scores at 3-3 and 4-4 but struggled to gain the upper hand.
In individual events, Indian shooter Cheema struggled in the 10m air pistol qualification, finishing 18th with a score of 574-17x and was unable to advance to the finals. His performance deteriorated in the fifth series, where he recorded a score of 93. Sarabjot, another competitor, showed remarkable improvement with a perfect 100 in his fifth series, propelling him to third place. Despite a previous series with three 9s and an 8, Sarabjot’s performance kept him in contention.
Overall, the opening day of the Paris 2024 Olympics featured intense competition and highlighted standout performances from shooters across the globe.
Arjun Singh and Sarabjot Singh both competed in the 10m air pistol qualification round but had different outcomes.
Arjun Singh finished with a total score of 574-14x, ranking 18th. Despite finishing strongly with perfect 10s in his last five shots, his earlier scores did not suffice to secure a higher position.
In contrast, Sarabjot Singh ended with a higher total of 577-16x, which placed him 9th. His performance included a mix of scores, but his overall higher score and a perfect 100 in one of the series contributed to a better final ranking.
Thus, Sarabjot Singh’s consistent shooting throughout the qualification round allowed him to finish in a stronger position compared to Arjun Singh.
China Clinch Win Gold
On Saturday, July 27, 2024, the Chinese shooting team of Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao clinched the first gold medal of the Paris 2024 Olympics by winning the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Final. They defeated the South Korean team of Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Hajun with a score of 16-12.
In the bronze medal playoff earlier, Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev won their match against the German duo of Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich. They secured the bronze medal with a decisive 17-5 victory, marking the first medal for Kazakhstan in the ongoing Olympics.
On July 27, 2024, Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao of China secured the gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. They built an early lead of four points against the South Korean team, Keum Jihyeon and Park Hajun, and maintained this advantage throughout the match to win 16-12.
China’s victory continues their success in this event, as they also won gold in the same competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. At that time, the team of Yang Qian and Yang Haoran emerged as the champions when the mixed team air rifle shooting made its Olympic debut.
Earlier in the day, Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev won the bronze medal, defeating Germany’s Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich with a score of 17-5. This win marked the first medal awarded at the Paris 2024 Games.
