Sheng Lihao (Xinhua News Agency)

Jiangsu athlete Sheng Lihao claimed the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle event at the Paris Olympics on July 29.

Sheng set an Olympic record with a score of 252.2 points, upgrading his silver medal from Tokyo Games to gold at the Chateauroux Shooting Center.

In the final, Sheng took an early lead with a score of 53.4 points from his first 5 shots and further solidified his advantage with scores of 10.5 and 10.6 in the last two shots to secure his victory.

Born in 2004, Sheng took up professional training less than four years ago before winning a silver medal at the Tokyo Games. Sheng has already won a gold medal at Paris 2024 in the 10m air rifle mixed team event with Huang Yuting.

Sheng started his shooting career at Donglai Primary School in Zhangjiagang City, which established a shooting team in 2001. The school’s principal, Su Haifeng, mentioned that Sheng’s talent was discovered as a fifth grader in 2016 after the school started incorporating professional coaches to train students in 2015. Sheng was then recommended to join a shooting club and selected for the national team in 2019.