Wang Zifei breaks world record in China's golden day at ISSF World Cup

LIMA -- China's rising star Wang Zifei broke world record to win back-to-back women's 10m air rifle gold while Olympic champion Sheng Lihao staged a dramatic comeback to claim the men's title, as Team China completed a golden sweep on Saturday at the ISSF World Cup in Lima.

18-year-old Wang scored 254.8 points in the final - a new world record and world junior record, surpassing the previous mark held by her teammate Huang Yuting by 0.3. She had already broken the world junior qualification record with 635.9 points earlier in the day, which she described as "normal level of performance" afterwards.

In the final, Wang quickly established her lead after the initial stage and never looked back. From her 14 elimination shots, her lowest was 10.4, while eight were 10.7 or higher. Her dominant showing led China's clean sweep of the women's 10m air rifle podium, with Han Jiayu earning silver (250.4) and Fan Xinyi claiming bronze (229.6).

"I didn't think of breaking the record ahead of the final. During the competition, I just focused on doing my best with every single shot, staying true to myself and staying in control with each bullet," said Wang, who bagged two golds, including her maiden World Cup title, from the previous leg in Buenos Aires earlier this month.

In the men's final, Sheng, the reigning Olympic champion and current world No 1, showed nerves of steel in a nail-biting duel with India's Arjun Babuta. After trailing for much of the elimination round, Sheng closed a 0.9-point gap mid-match and entered the final two shots 0.3 behind. A perfect 10.9 followed by a 10.3 lifted him to a total of 252.4, edging Babuta by just 0.1 to take gold in his first full World Cup appearance in the new Olympic cycle.

"I felt that my opponents have become stronger and to be honest, I was very nervous," said Sheng, who was fourth after the opening 10 shots but surged with a series of high 10s.

Early leader Istvan Peni of Hungary took bronze with 229.8, while Sweden's Olympic silver medalist Victor Lindgren finished fourth.

The double victory lifted China to the top of the medal table in Lima with three golds, three silvers, and four bronzes, ahead of the 10m air rifle mixed team and men's and women's trap final on Sunday.