(Beijing April 14) Chinese marksman Zhu Qinan, Olympic champion 2004 in Athens of men’s 10m air rifle and bronze medalist in World Championships 2006 in Zagreb, surged from the fifth place in the qualification to grab an “unexpected” gold medal of the event at “Good Luck Beijing” ISSF World Cup 2008, the first gold for China in the Beijing Shooting Range Hall on Monday.

The 23-year-old shooter didn’t do well in the qualification round with a total of 597 points, two points behind Peter Sidi of Hungary, who ranked first in the qualification.

“I just had surgery in early March, and I didn’t resume my training until March 24. I think my shooting skills and physical condition have declined a lot in the past month. I felt I had hard time both in the qualification and final round,” said Zhu.

In the sixth shot, the 2004 Olympic champion impressed the audiences with a 10.9, the highest in the tense final.

Zhu shot a fantastic 103.8 points in the 10-shot final round and won his world title.

“I was very calm before the final. After the qualification round, I went back to my room and watched CCTV-5. my hard time today doesn’t necessarily mean it will be hard for me in the Olympics. I think the four months starting from now to the summer games will be enough for me to get back to where I used to be,” added the 23-year-old.

Mattew Emmons of the United States grabbed the silver medal with a total of 700.7. Gagan Narang representing India won the bronze at 700.3.

Peter Sidi of Hungary, who led the qualification round with a total of 599 points, failed to maintain his lead in the final. He closed the round with a disappointing total of 699.1, ranking fifth.