Shooting legend focuses on 'big picture'

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-07 10:22

Chinese shooters in search of inspiration need look no further than their coach, Wang Yifu.

Wang, 48, is a sporting legend in China, not only as the country's most experienced Olympian with six successive appearances between 1984 and 2004 but also for his amazing accomplishments.

He won two Olympic golds, three silvers, and one bronze over the years, but none was more dramatic than his second-place finish in the 10m air pistol final at Atlanta in 1996.

Preparing for his last shot, Wang suddenly felt his blood sugar level drop and his legs begin to wobble. He managed to fire before collapsing to the floor, unconscious.

When he came around a few minutes later, Wang was told he had finished just 0.1 point behind the eventual gold medalist, Roberto di Donna of Italy.

Wang, whose two Olympic golds came 12 years apart in Barcelona in 1992 and Athens in 2004, now returns as head coach of the Chinese squad.

It was his enthusiasm for the sport, rather than any thought of emulating Austrian sailor Hurbert Raudaschl's record of nine Olympic appearances, that led Wang to toy with the idea of gunning for another gold in Beijing.

"I would have liked to compete as an athlete because it is a rare chance to take part in an Olympics held in one's own country," Wang said.

"But I have to keep the big picture in mind. Training members of the Chinese team to become Olympic champions would be a greater honor for me than earning another gold for myself."

Agencies

(China Daily 08/07/2008 page9)