TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwanese skeet shooter Lee Meng-yuan (李孟遠) on Saturday (Aug. 3) earned a bronze medal in the men's skeet competition at the Paris Olympics, winning the first medal for Team Taiwan.

Lee progressed through two days of qualification rounds to gain a spot in a final shoot-off for the gold medal round. The top two medals went to the U.S., with Vincent Hancock taking gold and Connor Prince taking silver, per CNA.

Lee won not only Taiwan's first medal in Paris but also Taiwan's first shooting medal in history. The 29-year-old qualified for the Olympics by earning a bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Shooting Championships in South Korea.

Lee was introduced to skeet shooting by his father, who brought him to the shooting range at age six. He showed no fear of shotguns or the sound of gunfire.

His goal for the current Olympics was to advance to the finals. He not only reached this goal but exceeded it by earning bronze.

Chen Shyh-kwei (陳士魁), chair of the Taiwan Shooting Association, told CNA that Lee’s bronze medal was hard-won. This was true as Taiwan failed to achieve good results the past few days, putting extra pressure on Lee.

“This medal is very important to us. It is also very helpful to Taiwan’s shooting community,” said Chen.