Tan Zongliang said Tuesday he was satisfied at winning the bronze medal for the 50 m air pistol shooting at his fourth Olympics.

"Of course I wanted to win a gold for the country, but a bronze is still worth celebrating after 16 years in the national shooting team," he told reporters Tuesday.

Having competed in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens, Tan's bronze medal at the Beijing Games marks his first time on the Olympic winners' podium.

Tan Zongliang

Tan scored 659.5 points Tuesday in the final in which Jin Jong-oh of Republic of Korea won the gold with 660.4 points and Democratic People's Republic Korea's Kim Jong-su the silver with 660.2 points.

Tan acknowledges his disappointing Olympic record is due to his inability to handle the pressure.

But he made no mention of retiring after winning his first Olympic medal.

"If this is my last time, I consider myself lucky because not many people have the chance to compete in four Olympics," he said.

"If my country still needs me, I'll continue to shoot."

"He is a brilliant shooter, but with unfortunate shortcomings," Wang Quan, vice-president of the Shandong provincial competitive sports school, was quoted by Sohu.com as saying.

Tan's coach Liu Zhiqiang, however, looked on the bright side.

"There is no need to be disappointed," he said.

"Being the best in the world on a given day isn't everything. It's more important to enjoy the competition."

Liu appreciates the glory that Tan has brought to him and his hometown.

The 36-year-old said he, like many of his teammates, had left home at an early age for special training, and has neglected family over the years.

He said he plans to make up for this and spend time with his mother after the competition.

Born in Weifang in eastern Shandong province, Tan has been a shooter for 23 years, and has gained a reputation almost equal to that of national shooting stars Wang Yifu and Xu Dan.

Despite winning the ISSF World Shooting Championships in 2002 and 2006, however, he has been unable to overcome the Olympic jitters sufficiently to win a gold.

China Daily-Agencies