CHATEAUROUX, France - China's veteran shooter Li Yuehong finally won his maiden gold medal in his third Olympics after victory in men's 25m rapid fire pistol here on Monday.
The 34-year-old made 32 hits in the final to secure the fifth shooting gold for China in Paris, also a first ever Olympic title for the country in this event.
Cho Yeong-jae of South Korea took the silver medal with 25 hits and Li's compatriot Wang Xinjie came third.
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Li's triumph capped an impressive run of China's shooters in Paris. Their haul of five gold medals marked the team's best ever record in an overseas Olympics.
"This has been an incredible experience for me. All my hard work has paid off. I am extremely happy. This is a victory for not just myself but the whole team," said Li, the reigning world champion and world record holder.
Taking a three-hit lead before the last series, Li needed only three hits to win but produced a perfect five. After securing the title, Li pumped his fist in the air before bursting into tears and hugging his coach.
"That were tears of excitement and gratitude. I'm grateful for everyone who helped me. Their concerted efforts made it possible for me to achieve this breakthrough," he explained.
A bronze medalist at both Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Olympics, Li took an early lead in the final but saw his position overtaken by Cho when he made two hits in the fourth series. He came back on top two series later and remained stable afterward to change the color of his medal to gold.
Wang, despite a perfect five in the opening series, was on the verge of elimination after three shaky ones. He managed to edge Florian Peter of Germany to make the top three through shoot-off.
The 27-year-old revealed that he was competing while having fever, so he was happy to win a bronze in his Olympic debut.
"From Olympic preparation to Olympic competition, the process matters more to me. Being able to persist on all the way, and complete the match in sick conditions, I think a bronze is satisfying," he said.
