First gold medalist lifts nation's spirit

After securing the first gold at Tokyo 2020 to lift the nation's spirit, student athlete Yang Qian attributes her flying start to her mental toughness and perhaps mom's home cooking.

Despite the loud music and intense atmosphere at the Asaka Shooting Range, Chinese athlete Yang held her nerve and lived up to high expectation by shooting off the first gold medal up for grabs at the Games in the women's 10-meter air rifle on Saturday, getting the Chinese delegation off to a flying start in Tokyo.

Ranked sixth after the qualification rounds, Yang stepped up her form in the final session to score 251.8 points after 24 shots, beating Anastasiia Galashina of the Russian Olympic Committee with a thin margin of 0.7 points to bring home the high-profile opening gold at the delayed Games, which opened on Friday.

Nina Christen of Switzerland bagged the bronze with 230.6 points.

With Galashina still ahead with a 0.2-point lead into the final shot, Yang proved that she's got a bigger heart than her opponent by scoring 9.8 points in the decisive 24th shot as the Russian crashed under the huge pressure to merely score 8.9 points.

To the excitement of millions in the television audience at home, including her parents who watched live with a group of neighbors in her home city Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, Yang held both hands over her head to form the shape of a heart as she celebrated on top of the podium at her Olympic debut.

"I tried to block all the distractions out of my mind, didn't think much and just focused on my routines to load the rifle, set my breath, aim and fire," Yang said of her mental adjustment before shooting the gold-winning final shot.

"I was quite nervous to be honest. My heart was beating so quickly but I just managed to refocus and hold my nerve.

"It's nothing wrong to be nervous, it helps you better focus with full concentration at the time when you need it the most."

As the most anticipated event at each of the Olympics, Chinese shooters have enjoyed quite a successful history in the women's 10m air rifle, with current national team coach Du Li and retired shooter Yi Siling winning first golds at the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Games.

After Du and Yi missed out on the gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the rise of a younger generation, led by Yang and teammate Wang Luyao, who failed to qualify for the final on Saturday, has heralded a bright future for Team China in its traditionally strong event.

Citing repeated drills in her everyday training, Yang attributed the success to her mental strength.

"My strength lies in my mental stability. I've always been able to cheer myself up with strong psychological encouragement even after shooting a bad round," said Yang, who picked up a rifle for systematic training at the age of 11.

Asked what she missed the most from home having stayed with the national team for half a year, Yang answered without hesitation.

"My Mom's home cooking," she said with grin. "Whatever she cooks I like them. Mom's dishes remind me of home. I'd like her braised prawns the most at the moment."

Following her individual gold to open the Games, Yang also will go for a second title in the 10m air rifle mixed team on Tuesday.

"For the coming event, I will step up my efforts. I cannot be complacent just because I won this time. I have to devote myself to preparation," she said.