2008 Paralympic Games

Day 3 - Sept. 9

2008 PARALYMPIC GAMES - SHOOTING: Fong Hits Personal Best in Sport Rifle Competition 

BEIJING, China - Team USA's Danielle Fong (New York, N.Y.) shot a personal best in the R8-50m Sport Rifle 3x20 - SH1 competition today. Shooting 20 shots from each of three positions - prone, standing and kneeling, Fong compiled a total score of 542 out of a possible 600. The event was won by Yun-Ri Lee of Korea with a world record score of 579.

USA Shooting coach Dan Durben was very positive about Fong's performance and felt that her prone score was top-notch. "That was some of the smartest shooting I've ever seen from a shooter," he said. "She approached it well and even in the wind had the patience to wait and do exactly what she needed to do."

At seventeen years old, Fong is by far the youngest female in the shooting competition. The average age of the competitors she faced in today's sport rifle event was 40. "This is a sport that places a premium on experience," explained Durben. "And the way she has performed here in Beijing shows that she has a very bright future."

For more information or to arrange an athlete interview, please contact Jeannine Hansen at 13910756748 (if calling from the U.S., dial 011 86 plus the local number).