The first Gold medal of these Games went to Czech Republic, won by the 24-year old Katerina EMMONS in the 10m Air Rifle Women Event. She defeated the home champion and title defender DU Li, who wasted her chances of victory during the final and finished in fifth place. Silver went to Lioubov GALKINA of the Russian Federation, Bronze to the surprising Snjezana PEJCIC of Croatia.
The first Gold medal of the XXIX Olympiad was assigned by the shooting sport, at the 10m Air Rifle Women Final, and was won by the Czech shooter Katerina EMMONS, the 2004 Olympic Bronze medallist in this event. Which is the better way enter the very first Olympic final? Sure, with a new Olympic Record! This could have thought Katerina EMMONS, who came out of the qualification rounds with an outstanding score of 400 points, the perfection, a new Olympic record. The Czech shooter entered the final match in first, with one point of advantage on the followers, and that was enough to keep her on the lead right to the end “I had shot 400 points at least five times, always out of official competitions. I was so happy to shot this score today, during the Games!”
The Final Hall of the Olympic Shooting Venue hosted the IOC President Dr. Jacques Rogge and the ISSF President Mr. Olegario Vazquez Raña that followed the match and awarded the medallists. The Venue turned out to be overcrowded by media: the first medal of the Games always gains the maximum coverage, so that more then 200 journalists, and a number of photographers and cameramen followed the match. But Katerina did not seem impressed about it, and shot keeping on the lead right to the end, closing the round with a new Final World Record of 503.5 points “I did not understood I had scored a new final record. Matthew told me right before the awarding!” Matthew, the Olympic Rifle Gold medallist of Athens 2004 Matthew EMMONS, Katerina’s husband, followed the final round from the honour tribune, and was the first to congratulate her at the end of the match. “Matthew is my best team-mate. We work as a team, the best team in the World!” The question came natural: Katerina, are you going to shoot for the USA in the next future? “I could. I don’t know if I will keep shooting for Czech Republic. Lets say that I would like to leave both the doors opened. What is sure is that I will take a break next year – added Emmons – I think I may take one year off from shooting. We want to have a family, and I really need rest after these four, intense, years”. Katerina defeated her most titled opponents, during this golden final. World’s number one DU Li of China, the Olympic title defender, finished out of the podium in fifth place, behind the American shooter Jamie BEYERLE and with a final score of 499.6 points. The result came unexpected. The home athlete was said to be one of the most favourite, and her defiance could be explained only by the pressure mounting on the home team during these days “I really feel bad for DU Li – said Katerina EMMONS at the press conference – She can absolutely shoot better then this. The Chinese media probably put to much pressure on her. It has been hard for me, with no journalists on the shoulders, I can imagine that it has been even harder for her.”
The results of the 10m Air Rifle competition confirmed the Russian shooter Lioubov GALKINA as Silver medallist. The 35-year old athlete, second with 502.1 points, had won Silver also at the last Games of Athens, and she did not hide her emotions while standing on the podium “This is a great day! At the beginning of the round I thought I could maybe finish in third: this Silver was unexpected.” Four years ago, after winning Silver in the Air Rifle Event, Galkina became the 2004 Olympic Champion in the 50m Rifle Three Positions competition, and now expectations for the incoming competition are growing “We will see… I am not used to this weather. Sure, with air-condition, in the 10m all, I did not suffer the humidity. But conditions are going to be different on the 50m hall, which is open. – continued Galkina – It is not easy to stand there for hours with those heavy shooting suits. But the 50m Rifle Three Position Event is my favourite, so… we will see!”
Next to the defiance of the super-favourite home athlete DU Li, a surprise came from Snjezana PEJCIC, 26, from Croatia, the Bronze medal winner. She had never stood on an international podium as senior shooter before, but here in Beijing she showed to have the right skills to challenge the experts. She entered the round in third place, and never gave up, shooting in the tenth ring with precision “I started with the same qualification score of DU Li – she said after the match – and I thought I could never make it to the podium. Come on, she is so strong! But then I realized she was missing and missing, while I was trying to give my best. I won the Bronze, while she is out of the podium – Snjezana continued – but I can understand her: the pressure on the Chinese team is incredible, DU has been followed by journalists and photographers since the first shots of the morning. That’s too much!”
The first medals of this XXIX Olympiad, the first medals of the shooting sports, where awarded by the IOC President, Dr. Jacques Rogge, who honoured the shooting family by following the final round near by the ISSF President Dr. Olegario Vazquez Raña. Dr. Rogge implicitly confirmed what he said last August, at the ISSF 100 years anniversary in Munich: “The shooting sports open the Games: this is becoming a tradition!”
International, Olympic Emmons
