Shi shoots right from the heart

TIANJIN — China-born American Jay Shi made history at the Chinese National Games on Monday simply by starting the men’s 50m pistol competition at the Tuanbo Lake shooting range.

Shi, who was born in Tianjin in 1979 before immigrating to the United States when he was nine years old, became the first overseas athlete of Chinese heritage to make an appearance at the Games.

The 38-year-old was thrilled by the prospect of participating, even though he failed to advance past the qualification round.

“It’s amazing; even now I can’t believe it,” Shi said afterwards. “Showing up at the National Games arena and hearing my relatives chant and cheer for me is an experience as precious as hitting a bull’s eye.”

Along with Shi, seven other overseas athletes of Chinese heritage were permitted to compete at the Games, marking the first time in the 58-year history of the event that overseas Chinese have taken part — a change made as part of reforms introduced by the State General Administration of Sports.

Shi, a web engineer by profession, said he dreamed of competing at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing but failed to make it through the US Olympic trials. He fulfilled his Olympic dream at Rio 2016.

Then came a setback, when the International Shooting Sports Federation, the governing body for Olympic-style shooting, recommended replacing three men-only events (50m rifle prone, 50m pistol and double trap) with three mixed team events (10m air rifle, 10m air pistol and trap) at Tokyo 2020.

Shi decided to switch to the air rifle under those changes. But when he learned in July that the National Games were also open to overseas athletes of Chinese heritage, he immediately applied for a slot in the men’s 50m pistol.

During Monday’s competition, Shi wore a uniform bearing a banner that read ‘Nan Yi Li Kai’, which roughly translates to ‘Hard to Say Goodbye.’

“This is my last 50m pistol event. What makes it even more special is that it was held in my motherland. ‘Nan Yi Li Kai’ is exactly how I feel,” Shi said.

“I will always cherish this experience. I hope I can come back again to compete at the National Games in the future.”