Published on 14 Aug 2008
50m Rifle 3 Position Women Final: Tears of joy on DU Li's face
Marco Dalla Dea
The Chinese top rifle shooter DU Li found the Gold she was seeking at the 50m Rifle Three Positions Women Event. Coming form the defeating of the 9th of August, when she had lost the title in the 10m Air Rifle Event, she played a perfect match, setting a new final Olympic Record and winning Gold. The master Katerina EMMOS reached her second medal of these Games, winning SIlver behind DU <em>"I don't know what to say... this medal surprises me too!"</em>
DU Li of China finally found the podium she was seeking in Beijing. After the defeating in the 10m Air Rifle Women Event, the competition she had won in Athens and then lost here in Beijing, she found Gold in her “backup event”, the 50m Rifle Three Positions Women competitions.
She sobbed of frustration the 9th of August, after the 10m final. Today she cried tears of joy, standing on the highest step of the podium in front of her fans with a total score of 690.3 points, a Final Olympic Record that shattered the previous 688.4 set by GALKINA of the Russian Federation at the Games of Athens 2004.
DU entered the final round with the highest score, equalling the Olympic Record of 589 points set by Renata MAUER of Poland at the Games of Atlanta 1996. But the Chinese champion did not start in the best way, firing a disappointing 8.7 and wasting her advantage on the followers. DU Li settles down after the second competition shot, and started firing excellent scores, remounting to the first position.
The battle for the medal turned out to be a taught struggle. Katerina EMMONS of the Czech Republic, the first Gold medallist of the 2008 Olympic Games at the 10m Air Rifle Women event, did not hesitate in seeking a medal on the 50m distance also.
EMMONS started her round in sixth place after the qualification and climbed up the rank firing an impressive final score of 101.7 points, for a total score of 687.7 points, winning the Silver medal “I don’t know what to say, really… this medal surprised me!” said the 24-year old Czech athlete, which gained her third Olympic medal of her career, after the Bronze won in Athens and the two podiums reached in these Game of Beijing.
Bronze went to the surprising Yaima Eglis CRUZ of Cuba, 28, the Silver medallist of the last Pan America Games 2007. She finished in third place with 687.6 points (588+99.6), winning the first World-level medal ever of her shooting career.
Jamie BEYERLE of the USA turned out to be the unlucky finalist, today. After the ninth competition shot she was virtually on the podium, but a fatal 8.7 fired at the last shot pushed her in fifth position “I entered the second final at my first Olympic Games. That’s all.” she said leaving the final hall.
The title defender, the Russian shooter Lioubov GALKINA, shot the highest score in the final (102.4 points). The impressive average per shot of 10.2 points was not enough to finish on the podium, since GALKINA had entered the final round with the lowest qualification score of 585 points.
She sobbed of frustration the 9th of August, after the 10m final. Today she cried tears of joy, standing on the highest step of the podium in front of her fans with a total score of 690.3 points, a Final Olympic Record that shattered the previous 688.4 set by GALKINA of the Russian Federation at the Games of Athens 2004.
DU entered the final round with the highest score, equalling the Olympic Record of 589 points set by Renata MAUER of Poland at the Games of Atlanta 1996. But the Chinese champion did not start in the best way, firing a disappointing 8.7 and wasting her advantage on the followers. DU Li settles down after the second competition shot, and started firing excellent scores, remounting to the first position.
The battle for the medal turned out to be a taught struggle. Katerina EMMONS of the Czech Republic, the first Gold medallist of the 2008 Olympic Games at the 10m Air Rifle Women event, did not hesitate in seeking a medal on the 50m distance also.
EMMONS started her round in sixth place after the qualification and climbed up the rank firing an impressive final score of 101.7 points, for a total score of 687.7 points, winning the Silver medal “I don’t know what to say, really… this medal surprised me!” said the 24-year old Czech athlete, which gained her third Olympic medal of her career, after the Bronze won in Athens and the two podiums reached in these Game of Beijing.
Bronze went to the surprising Yaima Eglis CRUZ of Cuba, 28, the Silver medallist of the last Pan America Games 2007. She finished in third place with 687.6 points (588+99.6), winning the first World-level medal ever of her shooting career.
Jamie BEYERLE of the USA turned out to be the unlucky finalist, today. After the ninth competition shot she was virtually on the podium, but a fatal 8.7 fired at the last shot pushed her in fifth position “I entered the second final at my first Olympic Games. That’s all.” she said leaving the final hall.
The title defender, the Russian shooter Lioubov GALKINA, shot the highest score in the final (102.4 points). The impressive average per shot of 10.2 points was not enough to finish on the podium, since GALKINA had entered the final round with the lowest qualification score of 585 points.