'Wrong target' makes Jia the winner (China Daily) Updated: 2004-08-23 08:00
American Matthew Emmons fired at the wrong target on the
verge of victory in the Olympics men's 50-metre rife three-position target event
to surrender an almost certain gold medal to China's Jia Zhanbo Sunday.
The scoreboard shows no shot fired
for USA's Matthew Emmons during the final round of the Shooting Men's 50m
rifle 3 position finals Sunday, Aug. 22, 2004, at the 2004 Summer Olympic
Games in Athens. Instead of aiming at his target, he fired at another
competitor's target by mistake. The error sent the marksman from a first
place gold medal to last. China's Jia Zhanbo won the gold; USA's Michael
Anti won the silver; and Austria's Christian Planer took the bronze.
[Reuters] |
Emmons was an almost uncatchable three points ahead as he took his last shot
but got an extraordinary score of zero when his final bullet completely missed
and he dropped out of contention into eighth.
Michael Anti of the United States moved up to second place to win the silver
medal and Austria's Christian Planer jumped to third for bronze.
There was initial confusion, with a puzzled Emmons checking his rifle and
believing there had been a scoreboard malfunction, before the judges concluded
he had fired at the target of Planer shooting in the lane to his right.
"Stuff happens," said accountant student Emmons, 23, who was going for his
second gold in the Games, having won the 50m rifle prone.
"That's sports. That's the
Olympics. I shot a cross-fire and didn't deserve the gold medal."
USA's Michael Anti, China's Jia
Zhanbo and Austria's Christian Planer stand on the podium after the men's
50m rifle 3 position finals Sunday, Aug. 22, 2004, at the 2004 Summer
Olympics in Athens. Jia won the gold; Anti won the silver; and Planer took
the bronze. [AP Photo] |
With no score for Emmons on the scoreboard, officials quickly went to the
American standing in lane two and examined his rifle. They were about to order
him to shoot again.
But before that happened they noticed that two shots were registered on the
target in lane three - Planer's.
They ruled Emmons fired at the wrong target and gave him a score of zero for
round 10 which cost him gold and dropped him to eighth.
"I thought it was a target malfunction, which sometimes happens. I didn't
think it could be a cross-fire because that almost never happens," Emmons said.
"The officials thought the shot didn't register for some reason and wanted to
make me shoot again. Then they noticed there were two shots in the other
target."
It was first thought that Emmons may have inadvertently helped Planer to the
bronze medal with his wayward last shot. The Austrian had been in fifth position
when he was credited with a final-shot bullseye, his best shot of the finals.
But officials studying replays later determined that Planer had indeed scored
a 10.6 on his shot and Emmons hit an 8.1 on Planer's target - which would have
been more than enough for gold had he hit his own target.
"I usually always look (through the scope) at the number above the target
first and then drop down to the target," said Emmons, who said he has never had
a cross-fire in international competition nor anywhere else in at least six
years.
"On the last shot I didn't look at the (target) number first," added Emmons,
who won his earlier gold on Friday. "I was just working on calming myself down
and getting a good shot off. I should have looked."
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