Sheng Lihao looked more assured than he did three years ago, when he emerged as one of China's youngest shooting stars at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
China wins gold in the men's 10m air rifle team event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Photo by ©AINAGOC
On Monday, the 21-year-old successfully defended his Asian Games title in the men's 10-meter air rifle at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery. He won with 254.2 points, setting both a new continental and Asian Games record.
From his opening shot in qualification to his final shot in the decisive round, Sheng endured a brief setback, fought his way back into the lead and withstood sustained pressure from India's Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil.
Sheng reached the final after topping qualification with 635.4 points, improving both the Asian and Asian Games records he previously held at 634.5. Teammate Ma Sihan also advanced to the final after placing second with 633.0.
Sheng Lihao poses with his gold medal following the men's 10m air rifle individual event at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery on Monday. Photo by ©AINAGOC
Earlier on Monday, Sheng helped China win the men's 10m air rifle team gold alongside Zhang Changhong and Ma.The Chinese trio totaled 1,899.0 points, breaking the world record of 1,898.4 previously held by China. Sheng contributed 635.4 points, Ma 633.0 and Zhang 630.6.For 18-year-old Ma, it was his first Asian Games appearance and a first gold at a major international multisport meet."It feels OK. I think I just performed at my normal level," Ma said.China briefly fell behind early in the team final, but Ma said he focused on regaining his composure."I just stood there, adjusted my mindset and slowly brought my thoughts back," he said.Sheng Lihao competes in the men's 10m air rifle individual event on Monday. Photo by ©AINAGOCMa also went through a three-shot shoot-off against Mongolian rival Bayaraa Nyantai during the individual competition."I was quite surprised. I didn't expect it to keep going into a shoot-off," he said.Competing alongside his two senior teammates, Zhang and Sheng, also helped ease the pressure, Ma said."They are both my seniors. It felt like I was being carried by them, so I wasn't that nervous," he said.After returning to China, Ma said he will focus on improving his performance in finals and continue working on how to deliver his best when the pressure is highest.For Sheng, meanwhile, the successful title defense added another milestone to a career that already includes two Olympic gold medals and multiple Asian records.Reporter: Li Yingxue
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