Ren attributes failure to anxiety to win

(BEIJING, April 12) -- "I was overcritical of myself and too anxious to win," Ren Jie told the media with a forced smile while walking out of the shooting range hall. In the women's 10m air pistol final that had just concluded, she lost the title on the last shot and only managed to grab third place.

It is common knowledge that air pistol shooting is more difficult than air rifle shooting, as the former is held by only one hand while the latter is supported by both hands. The world record in the women's 10m air rifle is 504.9 points, and that of the women's 10m air pistol is 493.5 points held by Ren Jie herself.

In the women's 10m air pistol qualification round of the ISSF World Cup held on April 12, Ren cruised into the finals with 386 pts but placed second, following Stephanie Triode of France with the same result.

Triode maintained her top form in the final, hitting the bull's eye in the first five shots, while Ren got off to a poor start with a 9.6 and an 8.5. From the sixth shot, however, Triode began making errors by scoring 8.3, 9.9, 9.5 and 9.6. Ren took advantage of Triode's mistakes, losing no time to exceed her French archrival, leading her competitor by 0.3 points after nine shots.

At this critical moment, all Ren needed for her final victory was a score over 10 points, but, as luck would have it, she seemed a bit hesitant before firing. 8.8 points! The result cost her the gold medal that was within easy reach. After the final, Ren admitted that she had given such a below-par performance because she was too anxious to win before the last shot.

(Credit: The Official Website of "Good Luck Beijing" Sport Events)