PARALYMPICS / Newsmakers

Come-from-behind win for Lin
By Tan Yingzi
China Daily/The Paralympian Staff Writer
Updated: 2008-09-09 11:03

 

Chinese shooter Lin Haiyan lived up to the high expectations of the home crowd yesterday, winning the first shooting gold for the host in the women's P2-10m air pistol SH1 at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall.

The 2000 Sydney Paralympic silver medalist led the qualifying round with 374 points, but struggled to find her rhythm in the final, firing all her first six shots under 9.7.

She was in second place after the fourth shot behind South Korean Moon Aee-kyung, but managed to retain her position after Moon botched her fifth shot, firing a measly 6.6.

The Chinese shooter then widened the margin and wrapped up the final with a score of 467.7.

Moon finished second with 463.2 and Natalia Dalekova of Russia took the bronze.

"I didn't shoot well, but Moon did even worse," Lin said after the match. "My physical condition was not very good today. I was not myself during the final, and my performance was far below my normal level."

Earlier, in the men's R1-10m air rifle standing SH1 event, Sweden's shooting legend Jonas Jacobsson claimed his 14th gold at the Paralympics. The 700.5 finish was his first gold and world and Paralympic record since 1980.

After setting a world and Paralympic record in the qualifying round with 596, the 43-year-old veteran delivered a flawless performance in the final, never dipping below 10.1 and scoring a perfect 10.9 on his seventh shot.

Norbert Gau of Germany came second with 693.7 and bronze medalist Franc Pinter of Slovenia rallied from sixth to third place with a superb performance in the final, including three 10.7s.

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