Mengxue Zhang of China wins gold medal in the Women's 10m Air Pistol event at the 2016 Rio Olympics. (Photo : Getty Images)
Chinese shooter Zhang Mengxue takes home the very first gold medal for her country, gaining back the country's foothold in the event following the disappointing performance of her predecessor in previous Olympic events.
Representing China in the 2016 Rio Olympics in women's 10-metre air pistol event, first-time Olympian Zhang Mengxue bags the country's first gold medal per an official press release from the International Olympic Committee.
Unlike compatriot and past air pistol representative Guo Wenjun, Zhang, who is only 25 years old, takes the country's first gold medal in what is expected to be a series of wins for the second most powerful country in the world.
Upon the conclusion of the event, Zhang scored a total of 199.4 points from her 20 shots which brought her significantly ahead of her competitor from Russia, Vitalina Batsarashkina who bagged the silver medal. Coming in third place is Greece's Anna Korakaki.
According to the official press release, Zhang was able to get ahead in the game in the middle of the event when she shot a perfect 10.9 in the final rounds. The achievement puts her in the fifth spot worldwide.
"I am still feeling the competition, I am still in that mood, and winning at the Olympic Games has been my goal since I was young. I now have the medal. It happened to be my mother's birthday yesterday, so this will be the best gift for her," said Zhang who hails from Jinan.
She also admitted that she had been struggling during the qualifications when she came in 7th out of eight finalists.
"I was pretty calm for the final actually, because the qualification was a bit tough for me," she explained.
While she may doubt herself at first, her fellow competitor from Grece was amazed at her skills that she was not surprised that she bagged the gold.
"I was expecting her to win a medal, she has had a good year," said Korakaki.
