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Finals 10m Air Rifle Women

“Like a movie star” The first Gold of London 2012 to Yi Siling (CHN)

XXX Olympic Games · London, GBR

The 23-year Chinese shooter won the 10m Air Rifle Women event, securing the first, brightest medal of the 2012 London Olympics.

China’s Yi Siling, 23, won the 10m Air Rifle Women event, pocketing the first Gold of London 2012. Making it into the final with a qualification score of 399 points (just one point far from the World Record), she scored 103.9 points in the final, ending up in first with a total score of 502.9 points.

 

The last three shots were decisive for the medals: Yi climbed up overtaking the leader Sylwia Bogacka of Poland, who fired a disappointing 9.7-point third-last shot, sliding back in second place.

 

It was announced, and she made it.
The dream of the young Chinese shooter Yi Siling comes true. She had been the first to qualify for the 2012 London Games, among all the sports, when she had won a Quota Place at the 2010 ISSF World Championship in Munich.

 

From there on, Yi kept on winning, climbing up the world ranking and beating her teammate Du Li, the 2004 Olympic Champ. Out of 15 ISSF competitions she participated in (during the last 4 years), she had made it to 12 finals, finishing 9 times with a medal around her neck. Yi turned to be the strongest shooter of 2011 by winning the ISSF World Cup Final in Wroclaw, and she also won this year’s ISSF World Cup Stage in Munich, finishing in second in London at the pre-Olympic test event.

 

Yi Siling was atop of the world ranking, atop of the ISSF NEWS Magazine’s “Super25 Chart”, and favourite by the experts. Statistics were on he side, when she walked into the range for the first Olympic final, here in London.

 

“My life has changed, right now.” The young Chinese shooter said, right after winning the first final. “I am changed now. I have been growing up, in the last hour, and my future will be different now. I feel like a movie star!”

 

“I am so happy about winning this medal. I have been working hard for this, and I have to thank my team and my family for their support” She said, smiling, at the press conference.

 

“I have been in a training camp for nine months, before this competition. I typically train two hours per day, every day. Sometime more. And today’s victory is rewarding me.” Yi Siling said, answering to who was asking her about the hard training sessions she uses to go through.

 

“Since my World Championship victory in 2010, there’s been a lot of pressure on me. I am glad I was able to manage it and to keep my mind free.”

 

Silver to Poland’s Bogacka

30-year old Sylwia Bogacka won today’s Silver medal, becoming the first European medallist of this 2012 London Olympics. The Polish shooter, ranked 49th in the world in this event, surprised everybody by making it to the final with 399 points. Then, she nailed 103.2 points in the 10-shot final, leading right up to the third-last shot, when she lost the lead in favour of Yi Siling, to finish in second place with 502.2 points and the Silver medal.

 

“I made a mistake on that shot. But I knew where the mistake was, and I focused to solve it on the last two shots. Luckily it worked, and I am here to speak about it.”  Bogacka said, after the match.

 

“I feel like I’ve won the Silver, not that I’ve lost the Gold. It has been hard to get here, and I am proud of myself.”

 

Bogacka had placed in 8th at the last Olympics, while her best placement in this event had been a Silver medal at the 2006 ISSF World Cup in Munich.

 

“I am practicing a lot. But I am doing this because I love it. Shooting is my life.” The Polish shooter concluded.

 

China celebrates two medals.

The People’s Republic of China started off the London Olympics in top gear, celebrating Yu Dan Bronze medal in the 10m Air Rifle Women event next to Yi Siling’s Gold.

 

The 24-year old Chinese shooter, a 2009 Asian Champion who had never made it to any other international final match before, closed her first Olympic competition in third place with a total score of 501.5 points. After qualifying with a score of 398 points, she collected 103.5 points during the final,  climbing up in third place.

 

“I would like to thank my family, they have been doing so much to support me.” Yu said, in tears.

 

2008 Olympic Champ Emmons did not make it.

Too hard to climb, the two-point disadvantage she had from the first. Katerina Emmons (maiden name: Kurkova) – the 2008 Olympic Champion - did not make it to the podium, today. After qualifying with 397 points passing through a five-way shoot-off, she scored 103.3 points, finishing in fourth place with an overall score of 500.3 points.

 

"I wasn't feeling quite right today. It may be because I didn't have my mind right. I wasn't shooting that great all season. I have had a few peaks but in between these I was trying to solve many problems.” Emmons commented.

 

"I'm having trouble with my hips since Julie (her 3-year-old daughter) was born. Everything hurts a bit after training. I was really happy to finish fourth. I'm just glad to be in the place where I can compete with these girls again." The former Olympic Champion added.

Marco Dalla Dea

 

ISSF Partners