GUANGZHOU, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- University student Niu Qisong of Hebei produced a stunning upset on Wednesday, winning the men's 10-meter air pistol final at China's 15th National Games ahead of Olympic champion Xie Yu and World Cup ace Hu Kai.
The 22-year-old Tsinghua University student, competing in his first National Games, kept his composure to post 241.2 points and edged Gong Haonan of Shaanxi by 0.5.
Hu of Anhui, unbeaten on the World Cup circuit this season, and Xie of Guizhou entered the final as title favorites after topping qualification. But the final proved unpredictable, with the top four positions changing hands several times among Niu, Xie, Hu and Gong. A costly 9.1 ended Hu's medal hopes, while Xie -- leading by 0.4 -- exited after a 9.3 with just 10 seconds left on the clock.
"I was just too nervous," admitted the 25-year-old Xie. "I wasn't confident enough when I pulled the trigger, but I also had a strong desire to win."
Trailing by 0.3 points entering the last two shots, Niu responded with a brilliant 10.6 to Gong's 9.0, sealing victory with a 9.9 to 10.7 finish.
"I didn't expect to achieve such a good result," Niu said. "I just tried to focus on myself. Maybe I didn't have as much pressure as some of the other competitors, so I was able to be more relaxed and simply do my thing."
Reflecting on balancing sport and study, he added: "Compared with professional athletes who came up through sports schools, I think I've had broader exposure to different people and areas of knowledge. That helps me improve my awareness and understanding in training and competition, giving me a deeper perspective on both."
In the men's 10m air rifle team final, Shaanxi, led by Olympic champion Liu Yukun, maintained a mid-match advantage to defeat Zhejiang 17-9. Liaoning claimed bronze with a 17-7 win over Shandong.
Liu, who finished runner-up to Tokyo Olympic champion Zhang Changhong in the 50m rifle three positions four years ago and narrowly missed gold in the 50m rifle prone in 2017, said he was delighted to finally change the color of his medal.
"Both teams were very close in strength, we were just a bit luckier this time," said the 28-year-old. "At the last two National Games, I lost the gold by just 0.1 point. This time, we scored the last four points on a 0.1 advantage each. My teammates performed brilliantly, and this victory shows the overall progress of our province's air rifle team."
Having taken bronze in Tuesday's 10m air rifle individual event, the two-time Asian champion is now targeting his main event, the 50m rifle three positions.
"I came to this National Games thinking it might be my last," Liu said. "I just wanted to give it a try and accept whatever result came. My main event is still ahead, so I'll save some energy and enjoy the next competitions."
Elsewhere, Chen Yan of Shanxi captured her first National Games gold in the women's 25m pistol final, scoring 40 hits after opening with two perfect series. Chen Jia of Xinjiang, who survived a tense three-way shoot-off earlier in the match, took silver ahead of 16-year-old Zhao Taotao of Hebei. Zhejiang's Sun Yujie, a triple World Cup champion this season, missed the podium by two hits.
"Before the final, I had a clear mindset - to affirm myself," said Chen Yan, appearing in her first National Games final. "Reaching the final was already a great achievement. During the match, I just focused on doing my best, taking it one step at a time."
The men's 10m air pistol team final, women's 10m air pistol and women's 50m rifle three positions finals will be contested on Thursday. Enditem
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