GUANGZHOU - A poster signed by Chinese skeet shooter Zhang Shan changed a 15-year-old's life and inspired her to the top of the shooting podium on Tuesday.
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 Wei Ning of China ejects shells during Tuesday's skeet shooting at the Asian Games. China won gold ahead of Korea. [Photo/Agencies]? |
Wei Ning, who fell in love with skeet after receiving the poster from Zhang, claimed her first individual gold in women's skeet with 94 points, and then defended China's team title with veteran Zhang and her sister, Wei Meng, at the Guangzhou Shotgun Center.
Wei Ning's individual gold marked the host's return to the top of the standings, 20 years after Zhang won the country's first gold at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
Korean Kim Min-ji took silver in the individual section with 89 points while Jiewchaloemmit Sutiya of Thailand claimed bronze (88).
Korea and Thailand also finished second and third in the team competition.
"Zhang is my idol," said Wei Ning, who won individual silver and team gold at the Doha Asian Games. "When I got the poster, she (Zhang) was already an Olympic champion and I set her as my target from that time on."
Holding the Asian record of 98 points, one point behind the world record, Wei Ning finished second at the Athens Olympics. However, she slumped to sixth at the Beijing Games due to stress.
"I felt myself capable (of taking the gold), but suffered too much mental pressure in some matches," said Wei Ning, who now tries to regard each match as a show. "It's a pity that I didn't realize my dreams at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, but I am psychologically more mature now."
Her sister, Wei Meng, was originally a rifle shooter, but started practising skeet four years ago under the influence of her sibling.
"There was a gap between my performance today and my expectations," said Wei Meng, who was making her Asian Games debut. "I'll learn from my mistakes and work hard to surpass my sister."
Regarded as the future of Chinese women's skeet, 21-year-old Wei Meng was asked to stand between her more seasoned colleagues during the team awards ceremony.
"Many shooters left the range because of a fall off in the event's popularity," said Zhang, the only woman to win an Olympic medal in the mixed skeet event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. "But today, young shooters are coming up quickly.
"Superficially, shooting is an individual event, but only with the base of a strong team can individual shooters stand out," Zhang said.
"Wei Ning's gold medal here is very important. I snatched the 1992 Olympic gold two years after winning the 1990 Asian Games and I believe this gold is a good indication of our prospects at the 2012 Olympics."
Asian Games exhibition held in Beijing
