July 30, 2024
PARIS – While she may be a fan of cute hair clips and puppies like the rest of her peers, Huang Yuting is not your average teenager.
As most of her classmates enjoy their summer holiday by hanging out with friends, going to the movies or shopping, Huang, a 17-year-old high school girl from Taizhou, Zhejiang province, will probably have the coolest summer memories of them all — going to Paris and winning an Olympic gold medal.
And it wasn’t just any random medal, but the very first gold up for grabs at the Paris Games — in the 10m air rifle mixed team — which got the Chinese delegation off to a scintillating start at the world’s biggest sporting extravaganza.
Huang, and fellow teen shooter Sheng Lihao, held their collective nerve to outgun South Korea’s Park Ha-jun and Keum Ji-hyeon 16-12 with poise and marksmanship beyond their years, winning the high-stakes final at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, 250 kilometers south of Paris, on Saturday.
Her golden Olympic debut has turned Huang into a household name overnight in China, drawing instant interest in her upbringing, hobbies and even the accessories she wears — just like what happened with her senior counterpart Yang Qian, winner of Team China’s first gold in Tokyo three years ago in the women’s individual 10m rifle.
Huang Yuting (left)/Sheng Lihao of China celebrate after winning the 10m air rifle mixed team gold medal match of shooting between China and South Korea at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Chateauroux, France, on July 27, 2024. PHOTO: XINHUA/CHINA DAILY
The little barrette Huang wore to keep her long hair off her scope on Saturday soon became a trending topic on Chinese social media, reminding fans of a similar situation in 2021, when Yang’s “yellow duck” hair clip ended up a best-selling item following her Tokyo Games win.
Younger and fresher, Huang comes across as an even more composed shooter than Yang — who didn’t qualify for Paris — as she kept her emotions in check throughout Saturday’s final, even after having won the biggest prize of an athlete’s career on her first try.
“It’s basically all the same, as far as what I need to do in a competition,” Huang said during a news conference when asked how different the Olympics feel compared to other events.
“Of course, the Olympics naturally come with greater attention, and I just needed to improve my mental focus to avoid being distracted by whatever happened outside of my control.
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“Perhaps we looked calm on the outside, but deep inside, we were very nervous. We just didn’t show it.
“It’s a great honor, a payback for what I’ve worked so hard for over the past year. It’s a new beginning, though. I will start over from zero again,” said Huang, who turns 18 in September.
Huang Yuting (left)/Sheng Lihao of China compete during the 10m air rifle mixed team gold medal match of shooting between China and South Korea at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Chateauroux, France, on July 27, 2024. PHOTO: XINHUA/CHINA DAILY
A student-turned-Olympic shooter, like many of her teammates in China’s decorated national program, Huang started part-time shooting training in 2016 when she was drafted into a junior sports academy for her imperturbable and resilient character, according to her first coach Lin Kehan.
“She’s had a big heart since she was little, and a competitive drive that made her always accomplish her assignments better than expected,” Lin said of Huang’s raw talent.
Eight years on, the quiet, puppy-loving girl, who fills all her social media profile photos with adorable dog pictures, has impressed at the Olympics as one of world’s most fearsome rifle shooters.
Her partner Sheng is not short of talent either.
The 19-year-old from Jiangsu province built on his silver-winning campaign in Tokyo to finish a step higher on the podium at his second Games in Paris.
Three years ago, Sheng became the youngest shooter — at 16 years and 233 days — to win an Olympic medal, when he finished second in the individual 10m air rifle, an event he is expected to contend for gold in this time around in Paris.
“I just did what I do, and took care of my business,” a calm Sheng said after the final, where the Chinese team’s 12-6 early advantage was cut to 14-12 toward the final round.
“If the result goes our way, like it did today, we will happily take it and feel honored to win glory for our country. If it doesn’t, then I am okay. It won’t affect my preparation for the individual event in any way whatsoever.”
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The final in the mixed event involves the two teams starting from zero, and the men and women each take shots in succession. The winning team in each round earns two points, while both teams each score one point in case of a tie. The first team to accumulate 16 points or more wins the match.
“Last time competing at the Olympics, I was quite nervous as a rookie. I was not mature enough mentally and technically,” Sheng said of his progress.
“I studied each of my competitions, focused more on training and, now, the Olympic gold has come naturally as a result of my hard work — and, perhaps, a little bit of luck.”
Youthful surge
As one of the world’s most successful teams in shooting at the Olympics, the Chinese contingent has racked up 67 medals, including 26 golds, at the Games since the country’s Olympic debut in 1984.
The surge of youthful power in the sport, underlined by the fact that all four rifle shooters in Paris were born after 2000, has heralded an even stronger future for the Chinese program, which boasts a tradition of identifying and developing talent early on from schools across the country.
Professional and flexible training programs, customized to accommodate student athletes’ school routines, and a transparent domestic trial system for major events, have seen the number of young aspirants mushroom in recent years.
Huang Yuting (left)/Sheng Lihao of China compete during the 10m air rifle mixed team gold medal match of shooting between China and South Korea at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Chateauroux, France, on July 27, 2024. PHOTO: XINHUA/CHINA DAILY
“We’ve developed a lot of young athletes, who are never shy from taking responsibility and are all keen on proving themselves on the international stage,” said Liang Chun, director of the national administrative center of shooting and archery.
The maturing of China’s next generation of talent has seen defending Olympic champion pair in 10m air rifle — Yang Qian and Yang Haoran — both knocked out of the Paris 2024 roster, proof of the program’s deep talent pool, Liang said.
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“They are young, but have both already pulled through many tests. We are confident in their future,” Liang said of the success of Sheng and Huang.
“I’ve always tried to remind our young athletes to not care too much about the results of one particular event. They all have a long way to go, and many more opportunities to realize their career goals.”