China Archery

One month later the national flag of China was hoisted again on the field where Zhang Juanjuan won the host the first Olympic gold medal in archery.

Chinese para-archer Cheng Changjie (in Chinese ???) beat Italian Marco Vitale 108-104 in men’s individual recurve w1/w2 on Sunday, the last individual event in the sport.

In the first series of the final, the 19-year-old on wheelchair didn’t start well with a 8 but progressed steadily with a 9 and a 10, achieving 27 points to beat his rival with 2 points.

He then kept the momentum to enlarge his advantage to 4 points in the second series.

Pulling himself together, the Italian showed his sharpness in the third series by posting a 10-9-9 tally. The gap was shortened to 3 points.

In the breathtaking last series, Vitale who started first aimed for a while and shot out the first arrow. A 10.

Cheng made a 9. Just two points ahead.

In the secord shot, both archers achieved 9. 99-97.

When many Chinese spectators were crossing fingers for their archer, Vitale lost his nerves. His score, a 7, gave the Chinese more hope.

Cheng managed to live up to the expectation of his supporters, finishing his performance with a third 9.

Almost all Chinese spectators stood up in excitement, while the champion unfolded a national flag and waved.

“I am so happy to be here,” said Cheng who smiled all the way to the press conference hall.

The teenage athlete lost his right leg in a car accident. “Thanks to those who supported me,” he said.

The bronze medal was grabbed by Tseng Lung-hui from Chinese Taipei, who won the hard-won medal after a shoot-off.

“I was so lucky,” he said, adding that he had recorded the performance of Cheng with his video camera, which he would bring back to show to his fellow archers. “I will tell them: look, this is the performance of the gold medalist.”

In the competition of men’s individual compound w1, Czech archer David Drahoninsky outscored world record holder British John Cavanagh 108-103. After winning the gold, the man with his hair dyed in the colors of Czech national flag rocked on his wheelchair.

Bronze medal was clinched by American shooter Jeff Fabry, who, without the right arm and leg, shot with his mouth but set the Paralympic record last Friday in the quarterfinal.

“Last Tuesday was the 30th wedding anniversary of my parents, and I will dedicate this medal to them,” said the gold medalist Drahoninsky who joked that his mom would hit him if he did not win and kiss him if he could bring back a medal.
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Source: China Daily Staff Writer
By Zhao Rui
Updated: 2008-08-13 09:06

Once the best in the world, archers from China’s Xibo ethnic minority are now making a comeback at the Olympics.
Xibo warriors began using the bow and arrow more than a thousand years ago, and their prowess was legendary. They helped the Yuan Dynasty armies sweep across the continent, and were said to be able to shoot their prey in the eye.
More recently, South Korean archers have dominated the Olympics, winning all major titles for more than a decade. Now, after winning two medals at the Beijing Games, the Xibo are back.

Leading the charge is Xue Haifeng, a modern Xibo archer who led China to a historic bronze on Monday.
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