Locked onto the target

"The influence of her Olympic gold medal is really big. I know in many sports schools and provincial teams, more and more kids want to try shooting."

Providing further evidence of China's steady production line of shooting talent, 17-year-old Wang Zhilin of Zhejiang province beat Yang to gold in the 10-meter air rifle, recording a national record score of 634.4 points in the qualifying round en route to glory.

Like all media, China Daily's request for an interview with Wang was declined, with her coaching team preferring to protect her from the spotlight.

Hailing Wang's emergence, Yang said the future looks promising for Chinese shooting.

"I think they are all very outstanding, especially Wang Zhilin. Also we have a younger shooter, Huang Yuting, who was born in 2006. They are all very talented, and had great performances at the National Games," said Yang.

"I think Chinese shooting is very competitive. The competitiveness of the domestic event is as high as any big international tournament. There are many strong shooters, so at each match, the results largely depend on our form on that day. Generally speaking, I'm satisfied with my performance at the National Games."