'Wrong target' makes Jia the winner
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-08-23 08:00

American Matthew Emmons fired at the wrong target on the verge of victory in the Olympics men's 50-metre rife three-position target event to surrender an almost certain gold medal to China's Jia Zhanbo Sunday.

The scoreboard shows no shot fired for USA's Matthew Emmons during the final round of the Shooting Men's 50m rifle 3 position finals Sunday, Aug. 22, 2004, at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. Instead of aiming at his target, he fired at another competitor's target by mistake. The error sent the marksman from a first place gold medal to last. China's Jia Zhanbo won the gold; USA's Michael Anti won the silver; and Austria's Christian Planer took the bronze. [Reuters]

Emmons was an almost uncatchable three points ahead as he took his last shot but got an extraordinary score of zero when his final bullet completely missed and he dropped out of contention into eighth.

Michael Anti of the United States moved up to second place to win the silver medal and Austria's Christian Planer jumped to third for bronze.

There was initial confusion, with a puzzled Emmons checking his rifle and believing there had been a scoreboard malfunction, before the judges concluded he had fired at the target of Planer shooting in the lane to his right.

"Stuff happens," said accountant student Emmons, 23, who was going for his second gold in the Games, having won the 50m rifle prone.

"That's sports. That's the Olympics. I shot a cross-fire and didn't deserve the gold medal."

USA's Michael Anti, China's Jia Zhanbo and Austria's Christian Planer stand on the podium after the men's 50m rifle 3 position finals Sunday, Aug. 22, 2004, at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Jia won the gold; Anti won the silver; and Planer took the bronze. [AP Photo]

With no score for Emmons on the scoreboard, officials quickly went to the American standing in lane two and examined his rifle. They were about to order him to shoot again.

But before that happened they noticed that two shots were registered on the target in lane three - Planer's.

They ruled Emmons fired at the wrong target and gave him a score of zero for round 10 which cost him gold and dropped him to eighth.

"I thought it was a target malfunction, which sometimes happens. I didn't think it could be a cross-fire because that almost never happens," Emmons said.

"The officials thought the shot didn't register for some reason and wanted to make me shoot again. Then they noticed there were two shots in the other target."

It was first thought that Emmons may have inadvertently helped Planer to the bronze medal with his wayward last shot. The Austrian had been in fifth position when he was credited with a final-shot bullseye, his best shot of the finals.

But officials studying replays later determined that Planer had indeed scored a 10.6 on his shot and Emmons hit an 8.1 on Planer's target - which would have been more than enough for gold had he hit his own target.

"I usually always look (through the scope) at the number above the target first and then drop down to the target," said Emmons, who said he has never had a cross-fire in international competition nor anywhere else in at least six years.

"On the last shot I didn't look at the (target) number first," added Emmons, who won his earlier gold on Friday. "I was just working on calming myself down and getting a good shot off. I should have looked."