Chinese newcomer Zhao Xu came from behind to snatch the gold of the women's 25m pistol at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Beijing on Sunday.
Trailing qualification leader Lalita Yauhleuskaya by five points, Zhao upset the Sydney Olympic bronze medallist from Australia to win her first World Cup title with a terrific performance in the final, where she shot 207.6 points.
"It's a sweet surprise for me. I had never participated in any World Cup event, so I was more than happy when I made it into the final," said the 20-year-old Zhao, who squeezed into the eight-member medal round after winning a shoot-off in the qualifications.
"In the final, I was under no pressure at all and I just tried my best," she added. "Luckily enough, I had my best final performance."
Zhao finished with a total score of 787.6 points, edging Yauhleuskaya, who took the silver, by 0.5 points.
The bronze medal went to Viktoria Chaika of Belarus, who led all the way in the final before scoring a disappointing 7.2 in her last shot to surrender the title to Zhao.
Later on Sunday, two more golds will be decided in the men's 50m pistol and women's 10m air rifle.
(Xinhua News Agency April 19, 2009)
