Xu Haifeng

Xu Haifeng (simplified Chinese: 许海峰; traditional Chinese: 許海峰; pinyin: Xǔ Hǎifēng; born August 1, 1957) is a male Chinese pistol shooter, and he is the first citizen of the People's Republic of China to win a gold medal at the Summer Olympics. He specializes in the 50 metre pistol event. He was born in Zhangzhou, Fujian and is a native of He County, Anhui.

Not to be confused with Xu Haifeng (canoeist).
Xu Haifeng
Personal information
Native name许海峰
Born (1957-08-01) August 1, 1957[1]
Zhangzhou, Fujian, People's Republic of China
Medal record
Men's shooting
Representing  China
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles 50 m pistol
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Seoul 10 m air pistol

The first gold medal for China was won by Xu in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, while his teammate Wang Yifu won bronze. After retiring in 1995, he became a coach for the Chinese National Shooting Team.

Xu was the torchbearer to bring the Olympic Torch into the Beijing National Stadium, near the end of the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony. Xu is married to Zhao Lei, the daughter of his coach in the Chinese National Shooting Team. They have a daughter, Xu Jia. Xu is the Deputy Director of Chinese Cycling and Fencing Administration Centre.

Portrayals and coverage in media

On October 14, 2012 a movie based on his life leading up to his Olympic gold medal, "Xu Haifeng and his Gun" premiered in China. The movie was directed by Wang Fangfang (Chinese: 王放坊) and stars Li Dongxue (Chinese: 李东学) as Xu Haifeng.

References
  1. Xu Haifeng at Olympedia
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.