ATHLETES of Team China have clinched three gold medals of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, two in shooting and one in diving, by 5 p.m. yesterday, a fruitful start for the Olympic journey. China’s young shooters Huang Yuting, 17, and Sheng Lihao, 19, defeated South Korea’s Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun in the 10m air rifle mixed team event to secure the Games’ first gold medal. The Chinese duo have showed dominance in recent years, standing atop the podium at the 2023 World Championships in Baku and at the Hangzhou Asian Games. As the favorites in Paris, Huang and Sheng ranked first in the event’s qualification round with 632.2 points, just one point shy of the Olympic qualification record. Despite a challenge from Keum and Park in the gold medal match, the Chinese teenagers demonstrated maturity beyond their years to seal the win 16-12. “I kept telling myself to focus on my performance and stay concentrated, giving myself positive mental cues,” Huang said after her Olympic debut. “Tokyo was my first Olympics, and I was pretty immature both technically and mentally,” said Sheng. “I accumulated experience and keep reflecting on myself, and this time the gold medal was a result of my hard work.” Chinese divers also continue to shine at the Olympics. Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani of China triumphed in the women’s synchronized 3m springboard in 337.68 points at ease, winning the second gold of the Paris Olympics, which is the sixth consecutive Olympic gold medal in this event for China since the 2004 Athens Games. “I just focused on my own rhythm as well as my partner’s. I didn’t feel much different [today] to other competitions,” said 25-year-old Chen, who has paired up with Chang to win this event at the last three World Championships. As a diving powerhouse, China won seven out of eight gold medals in the previous two Olympic Games, and the “Dream Team” remains consistent in expecting a sweep of gold medals at Paris 2024. Chinese sharpshooter Xie Yu clinched gold in the men’s 10m air pistol event at the Paris Olympics yesterday. The 24-year-old Olympic debutant, who was ranked sixth after the qualification round, surged from behind in the final to finish with 240.9 points, 0.9 points ahead of Italy’s Federico Nilo Maldini. Vivian Kong Man Wai of Hong Kong, China eased into the women’s epee individual final, taking on home fencer Auriane Mallo-Breton, who defeated Eszter Muhari of Hungary. Kong overcame a slow 5-0 start in front of a packed home crowd at the Grand Palais to tie at 12-12 after competition time ran out. The 30-year-old then won with the final strike to take a 13-12 victory and claim Hong Kong’s second Olympic fencing gold, following Cheung Ka Long’s men’s foil individual gold in Tokyo. “Being able to fence in this palace has always been one of my dreams. I think it’s so beautiful. It’s where fencing should be,” said Kong. Tokyo gold medalist Sun Yiwen of China, who also has a team silver and an individual bronze from Rio 2016, lost in her title defense against Miho Yoshimura of Japan. The two tied at 13-13 as time ran out, before Yoshimura scored the final strike with 48 seconds left to win 14-13, which Sun claimed was a hit on Yoshimura herself.(Xinhua) | 