Chen Restores Chinese Pride With Gold

China`s Chen Ying won the Olympic gold medal in the women`s 25m pistol shooting.

China's Chen Ying came from way behind with a dazzling performance in front of a big home crowd to win the Olympic gold medal in the women's 25m pistol shooting on Wednesday.

Chen stayed cool in the final, sending waves of cheers through the Beijing shooting range hall as she closed in on the leader, Gundegmaa Otryad of Mongolia. Chen moved up from third to first in round three and never looked back.

Otryad, who looked poised to give Mongolia their first ever gold medal when she took a five-point lead from qualification into the final, won the silver and Germany's Munkhbayer Dorjsuren, who was born in Mongolia, took the bronze.

"I was nervous but in the end that helped me score better," said Chen, who turned and took a deep bow to the crowd of 2,000 after clinching the gold medal with her final shot. Loud shouts of "Jia You!" (Go!) had erupted after each round.

"When I was out there on the shooting range I could feel all the support from the crowd. I'd like to thank everyone for that."

She later led the crowd in a singing a hearty rendition of the Chinese national anthem on the podium.

"Zhong Guo Jia You!" (Go, China, Go!) they chanted after the anthem.

Chen's victory helped restore China's pride on the shooting range, giving the hosts three gold medals at the midway point in the nine-day competition after several tearful disappointments earlier in the week.

China won four golds in Athens and expected to improve on that in their home Games. But hot gold medal favourites Du Li and Zhu Qinan fell short, raising Chinese fears that the huge expectations were proving destructive.

Otryad did not seem too bothered by the defeat nor missing out on a possible first gold medal for Mongolia.

"I feel relaxed," said Otryad, who won the bronze medal at the 2006 world championships.

Maria Grozdeva, who took the gold medal in both Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004, was back in fifth place.