It was a bronze medal, but the veteran shooter on a wheelchair made her own history.
"Please forgive me if I am being illogical. I am very, very excited," said Nilda Gomez Lopez, who is the only shooter from Puerto Rico coming to the Beijing Paralympics.
A five-time Paralympian, the diminutive lady with long, tawny hair finished fifth in the qualification round of women's 10-meter air rifle standing with 387 points, five points below the the top finalist and three points after the second.
However, the 49-year-old managed to muster up her power in the final to score four of the ten shots above or equalling 10 points, securing her country a bronze.
"It means a lot of course. This is my first medal of five Paralympic competitions," she said. "I was very nervous during the qualification round. Thank God a lot. I hoped he would let me make it to the Paralympics, and here I am."
Seeing her beaming smile, people could hardly imagine that the optimistic lady was once at a loss as what a person confined to wheelchair could do.
She got involved in sports some 30 years ago.
"I was in a rehabilitation center, when a roommate, Bell Chang, told me that even disabled people had the chance to compete," Lopez recalled. "My life would be totally different had I not met her."
Under the encouragement of Chang, Lopez took part in a marathon that April, which was in effect a gathering of people from all rehabilitation centers.
"It was like a platform for disabled people to meet and talk with each other," she said, adding that only then did she realize even those on the wheelchair could become shooters and thus found her position in the sport.
Last year, Lopez met her coach Ralph Rodriguez.
"I was a shooter myself and competed in five Olympics," said Rodriguez.
"I am really glad to coach Lopez. She was quite diligent and sometimes I think, if only the abled shooters could be as hardworking as her."
Under the instruction of the coach, Lopez went for training five times a week, each last one or two hours. It was difficult for a disabled to carry on.
"Concerning her age and health condition, such persistence aroused my admiration," said Rodriguez who had been in shooting for over 50 years.
Therefore, Lopez progressed quickly, especially psychologically.
But Rodriguez believed that she could be better if did well in the qualification round, noting that during the training, her qualification scores were five to six points higher.
"But in the final, she did a great job," he said.
The coach has already been thinking about next four years.
"From now to London, we can do a lot better."
But to Lopez, there's something more impending -- she will compete in women's 50-meter sport rifle three positions.
(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2008)