On a golden day for Germany in Rio, Barbara Engleder held her nerve to win in the 50m 3 Positions shooting event. The 33-year-old was on top throughout the competition and finished just ahead of two Chinese shooters.
It was fourth time lucky for Engleder, who has failed to claim a medal in the last four Olympics, and she sank to her knees in joy at the moment she finally won the biggest prize of them all. A nervy final score of nine turned out to be enough.
The 33-year-old was ranked at or near the top through the kneeling, prone and standing positions of the competition but only just held on to her lead at the end, with the winning margin just 0.2 points. Her score of 458.6 is an Olympic record.
Zhang Binbin was the unlucky loser who so close to gold and took the silver while 2008 Olympic champion Du Li claimed the bronze.
Engleder’s win is the first Olympic gold won by a German shooter since Silvia Sperber in Seoul, 1988 and Engleder was delighted with the victory: “It is the crowning moment of my career,” she said afterwards. “I’m really, really happy.”
The shooter’s win came hours after Germany had picked up a pair of golds in the men’s and women’s quadruple sculls.
mp/apc (SID/DPA)
