GUIYANG, July 29 (Xinhua) -- When shooter Xie Yu captured the third gold for China at the Paris Olympic Games in men's 10m air pistol on Sunday morning, he knew well that a cheering crowd thousands miles away back in his hometown Bijie City, southwest China's Guizhou province, would have a sleepless night.

When it was revealed that Xie won the gold with an impressive score of 240.9 points, spectators both onsite and online were thrilled.

"Though I'm not the one in the Olympic arena, I was almost trembling with nervousness while watching the game," said Xie's father, Xie Hongcan, who watched the whole game on TV.

"I'm proud of my son. Though he was not in the best place at the very beginning of the contest, he triumphed over his pressure and won his way. It's hoped that he could bring us more pleasant surprise in the upcoming matches," said the man with a smiling face but tearing eyes.

Some 500 people, including the teachers and students at the Bijie sports school, gathered at the school to watch the game and cheered for Xie. They shared the emotions with his family.

"We're so proud of him for finally making it to the Olympics, representing our hometown Bijie, and motherland China," said Xie's former coach Peng Zhixin, whose voice was choking with excitement and eyes were filled with tears of joy.

The 24-year-old Xie commenced his journey to Olympic gold 10 years ago when he entered the Bijie sports school, where he was selected for the shooting team for his emerging talent. In 2015, he competed in the Guizhou Shooting Championship and won two golds in the boys' junior division for the 10-meter air pistol and 50-meter slow fire events.

"Xie is a hard-working talent, thus naturally emerging victorious among his peers. His amazing performance at the provincial competition has still been a surprise to us, after all, he was rookie back then and he had only been through training for one year," said Peng.

Peng's version of Xie's two-year life at the sports school seems "simple" as it was filled with countless practices of raising, aiming, and firing.

"Shooting is such a demanding sport in accuracy that even one breath can make a huge difference. Therefore, the journey to the Olympics remains a thorny path for all; even geniuses are no exception," Peng explained.

Xie advanced to the Guizhou provincial team in 2017, marking a significant step in his career as he geared up to compete on a broader stage.

"Thanks to the support and opportunities given by our motherland, Xie Yu has made rapid strides in terms of professional skills, stability, and concentration over the years," said Peng, reflecting on his apprentice's progress.

Xie's achievement has become a huge inspiration for many including Lu Mengyuan, a 14-year-old student in the Bijie sports school.

"He was my role model. He was almost about my age when he was recruited in the school. I will keep on training and fighting as he did for a chance to go to a bigger stage like Olympic Games," said Lu. Enditem

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