China secured the gold medal in the 10m air rifle mixed team event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on September 22, with Wang Zifei and Paris Olympic champion Sheng Lihao delivering record-breaking performances in both the qualification round and the final.
The pair topped the qualification stage with a combined score of 638.9 points, surpassing the previous world record by two points and advancing to the final in first place. Throughout the final, China maintained the lead from the outset. During the elimination stage, the duo achieved 379.5 points, holding a 1.3-point advantage over Japan, while India was the first team to be eliminated.
In a subsequent three-shot series, Wang and Sheng combined for 64.1 points, extending their lead to 3.5 points and resulting in Japan finishing third. China then widened their margin further in the final three-shot series, finishing with a total of 507.1 points, which broke the previous world record by 0.4 points. South Korea secured the silver medal with a score 4.2 points behind China, and Japan took bronze with 439.7 points.
During the final, Wang Zifei experienced a momentary dip in performance, recording scores of 9.4 and 9.9 on two shots, but she quickly regained composure. Reflecting on the challenge, Wang emphasized the importance of staying focused and returning to her usual rhythm: “Mistakes may happen in a match. I just tried to refocus, get back into my normal rhythm and shoot at the level I do in training.”
For Sheng Lihao, the victory marked his third gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, following earlier wins in both the men’s 10m air rifle team and individual events. He also set new world records with his team performances. Commenting on his success, Sheng expressed surprise at his high scores, noting that they exceeded his usual training results: “I didn’t expect to shoot that well. The score was much higher than what I usually get in training, so I think I was a little lucky too.”
The results highlight the continued dominance of China in shooting sports at the Asian Games, demonstrating a combination of skill and mental resilience under competitive pressure.