China takes first archery gold

China claimed the first ever mixed team recurve open Paralympic event gold medal following a four-set win over Iran in the final.

The Chinese team, comprised of Lixue Zhao and Chunyan Wu, finished the ranking round with 1246 points behind Iran (1264) and qualified for the round of 16 in second place.

Zhao and Wu went on to subsequently defeat the Czech Republic, Thailand and Mongolia to qualify for the final against Iran.

Those teams struggled with the high winds and there were a number of shoot-offs.

“It is a little hard because of the wind and that has a lot of effect on the match,” said Wu, who won three golds at the 2015 World Archery Para Championships in Donaueschingen, Germany.

“We just communicated with our coach and encouraged each other to do better and better.”

In the final, China’s duo beat Iran’s Zahra Nemati and Ebrahim Ranjbarkivaj 5-3 to claim a much-celebrated gold medal in the Sambodromo, famous for being the home of Rio’s annual carnival parade.

“Today I can stand on the tallest medal stand and wear the crown,” Zhao said. “The medal tastes delicious,” added Wu.

Italy collected bronze following a 5-1 win over Mongolia.