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Name: Du Li 
Born: March 5, 1982, in Jinan, Shandong province

Entry for Beijing: shooting, women's 10m air rifle and 50m three positions 

Career highlights: gold medal, Athens Olympics; gold medal, 2006 world championships; gold medal, 2005 and 2006 World Cups

Major rivals: Barbara Lechner (Germany), Katerina Emmons (Czech Republic) and Lioubov Galkina (Russia) 


Behind the beautiful eyes and gentle  smile of markswoman Du Li is the most ambitious Chinese athlete at the Beijing Olympics. There is a huge weight on her shoulders - to win China's first gold medal at the home Games.

The 26-year-old bagged the first gold in Athens four years ago when she won the 10m air rifle contest  and looks forward to defending her  title of the 'first gold winner'.

'This is a great privilege for me, I love it,' Du said during the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup, an Olympic try out, in Beijing in April. 'Of course I am under great pressure, but I am really enjoying it because only a few athletes can have the opportunity to win the first gold medal.

'I know there will be millions watching my shooting on television, it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.'


To win the first gold on the first day of the Games, Du not only needs to beat  formidable international rivals but also  a Chinese champion from another sport - the women's 48kg weightlifting, which boasts world record holder  Wang Mingjuan.

The battle to claim the first gold started at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, with the sharpshooters snagging China's first gold at the past two Games, and this year the stakes are considerably higher as both Du and Wang are eager to make their mark in the most important Olympics of their lives.

'It's a very interesting competition,' Du said. 'It is a little funny because we are playing two totally different sports, but the competition exists, as the first gold has great symbolic meaning.'

Dubbed the 'Maria Sharapova' of the shooting range by mainland media after the glamorous Russian tennis player, Du grabbed the Athens gold on her Olympic debut. Since,  she has maintained  strong momentum and achieved a stunning grand slam in the women's 10m air rifle.

She won the World Cup twice, in 2004 and 2005, and completed her winning streak by taking the 2006 world championships in Zagreb, Croatia. 

At the recent World Cup in Beijing, Du finished with a bronze medal in the 10m air rifle but displayed her versatility by claiming the 50m three positions title, in which she defeated veteran Sonja Pfeilschifter, of Germany, and defending Olympic champion Lioubov Galkina of Russia. That booked her berths in both events in Beijing. To prepare for the wild support she will have in August, Du didn't wear earplugs during the Beijing tournament in April to learn to cope with the atmosphere.

'If I can stay focused at this test event, I can manage the situation at the Olympics, too,' Du said.




No 44: Du Li