China's Liu wins Para biathlon men's middle distance sitting gold at Beijing 2022

Liu Mengtao of China celebrates after the Para Biathlon Men's Middle Distance Sitting event of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in National Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, on March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

CHONGLI, Zhangjiakou, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China's Paralympic debutant Liu Mengtao, 20, claimed the Para biathlon men's middle distance sitting title at Beijing 2022 here on Tuesday.

This is the eighth gold for host China at the ongoing Beijing Winter Paralympics.

"China was not strong in winter Paralympic sports. The best individual result we had at PyeongChang 2018 was Zheng Peng's fourth place in Para cross country," said Liu after the race.

"We've been longing to break that record for him. Now as you can see, our hard work paid off," he added.

Liu, who took a bronze in the Para biathlon men's sprint sitting last Saturday, finished the 10km race in 30 minutes and 30.7 seconds, missing three shots in the four rounds of prone shooting.

"My skiing was fine today, but the shots, not that good," said Liu.

"I tried my best, so I am satisfied. I want the Chinese flag to rise to the highest tip. That's where I got the motivation," he noted.

On hugging his opponents after the race, Liu said, "Because we competed together. It's like a celebration."

32-year-old Martin Fleig from Germany, the Para biathlon men's 15km individual sitting champion at PyeongChang 2018, missed targets twice and settled for the silver at Beijing 2022 with a gap of 46 seconds.

22-year-old Taras Rad from Ukraine, the Para biathlon men's 12.5km sitting champion at PyeongChang 2018, missed four shots and got the bronze, 49.2 seconds adrift of the winner.

"Today's shooting was not the best I can do, but I am proud that I have really good skis. I tried my best to put all my effort into skiing," Rad said.

"During the race, I fixed my belt because there was something wrong with it. It had an impact on the final result," he added.

24-year-old Liu Zixu, who grabbed the first-ever Paralympic individual gold for China in the Para biathlon men's sprint sitting last Saturday, missed five shots and finished fifth.