Li Jiahong overcomes disappointment to triumph in Tianjin

Li Jiahong, a shooter from the Heilongjiang provincial delegation, has broken the world record for the men's 50m rifle prone competition –– scoring full marks in the last two rounds of the final, helping him claim his first gold medal at the Chinese National Games.

Li clinched the gold medal by defeating his opponent from the Shaanxi provincial delegation with an advantage of 0.3 on Aug 30.

The shooter has attended four consecutive games since 2005. Prior to this year’s performance, Li claimed the silver medal at the Chinese National Games held in Shenyang during 2013.

He was thought to be a relative newcomer when he won his medal in Shenyang. Actually, Li had been around for a while and had had a strong start to his career, but his success did not continue for long.

Li, 31, entered Heilongjiang provincial shooting team at the age of 17. He won his first national championship just a year later.

Since then, his early success has been followed by frequent injuries, causing him to lose momentum. Li quickly became a minor figure on the shooting circuit.

Li Jiahong, the gold medal winner in the men’s 50m rifle prone competition, holds his rifle during the finals held in Tianjin on Aug 30. [Photo/MY399.COM]

“My interest in rifle prone competitions pulled me back,” said Li Jiahong, during an interview with Harbin Daily.

After a long break, Li gradually came to the realization that he could not waste his talent and became determined to come back to the Heilongjiang provincial team and fight his way back to the top.

When people cheered for the silver medal Li won during the competition in 2013, Li was disappointed with his performance.

To achieve better scores, Li insisted on training for nine hours every day for four years. The results speak for themselves, and Li won his first gold medal with a record-breaking 10.9 in two shots.

“This is not the end of my career, although I am 31,” Li Jiahong told Harbin Daily.

In the future I will be both coach and competitor, he said.