Some of her teammates stumbled in their shooting finals, but Chen Ying staged one of the best comebacks instead.
The Chinese shooter wiped out a five-shot deficit to win the women's 25m pistol gold yesterday at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall.
When it was over, she jumped in joy and waved happily at the packed hall, many of whom were elated Chinese fans.
Chen Ying blows kisses to her fans as she celebrates her win in women's 25m pistol August 13 2008. [Xinhua] |
It is China's third shooting gold, set in an Olympic record total of 793.4 points.
"The loud cheering from my compatriots inspired my fighting spirit in the final, and I owe my thanks to them," said an excited Chen at the press conference.
"I really love the lively, home-court atmosphere. I went all out in the final and today was my best show ever."
Chen made her move in the final's first five-shot series, moving from third to second place, behind Mongolia's Gundegmaa Otryad.
Then, disaster for the leading Mongolian, who suffered a pistol malfunction on her third five-shot series.
With that, Chen took the lead which she never relinquished, while Otryad finished second with 792.2, winning her first Olympic medal after three tries.
"It's a pity that I didn't get the gold, but I am still very happy," Otryad said.
Mongolian-born veteran German shooter Munkhbayar Dorjsuren claimed bronze with a score of 789.2. "It's my fifth Olympics and I can't go back home with empty hands," she said.
Said Chen: "There was a five-point difference between me and the leader, but I had a similar experience before, so I fired every shot calmly."
Chen finished fourth in Athens but, with recent outstanding performances, she was tipped as a strong contender.
The 30-year-old Beijing native was named Best Female Shooter last year by the International Shooting Sport Federation, with victories at the 2006 World Championships, the 2007 World Cup Final, the 2006 Asian Games and the 2007 Asian Championships.
"To tell the truth, I was craving for the gold so badly that, in the past few days I dreamt I was standing on the top of the podium."