Located approximately 250km from the Eiffel Tower, at a steamy military base on the outskirts of Chateauroux, China secured the first gold medal of the 2024 Olympic Games. History will note that Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao, the reigning world champions and favorites in the 10m mixed air rifle team event, achieved victory at 11:22 AM.
The silver medal was claimed by the Korean duo of Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun. The celebrations among the competitors were subdued, lacking any signs of exuberance.
With a target of 16 points to win, China had established a 6-2 lead after four rounds. Sheng’s precision was remarkable. The Korean coach, realizing they were in danger of falling behind, called for a timeout. The strategy paid off temporarily, allowing Korea to take the next round and cut the deficit. Huang, however, responded effectively, providing China with a four-point lead once more.
This lead proved to be insurmountable. Two shots in the ninth round, each scoring 10.6 – with the maximum potential score being 10.9 – were pivotal. At this juncture, China was leading 12-6. They required 14 rounds to clinch gold, finishing with a score of 16-12, while Korea made a late push, narrowing the score from 14-8 to 14-12. Among the spectators was France’s Minister for Sport, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.
Germany narrowly defeated Norway to earn a spot in the bronze medal match against Kazakhstan. The Kazakhstan pair of Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev started strong but were caught up by Germany’s Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich. With Le performing exceptionally, Kazakhstan regained the lead, now at 11-5. At 10:45 AM, Satpayev led Kazakhstan to victory with a score of 17-5, marking the first medal of the Games.
Team GB’s Seonaid McIntosh and Michael Bargeron placed 26th out of 28 in the qualifying rounds, both expressing their intent to concentrate on their other shooting events. “This was primarily a warm-up for us,” said Bargeron. “We had this planned out for weeks. It was beneficial to shake off the nerves, experience the crowd, the atmosphere, and the heat. It was really enjoyable.”
