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Yuan Shu-chi fails to secure bronze in archery by a point

Britain's Alison Williamson defeated Taiwan archer Yuan Shu-chi (袁叔琪), winning the bronze medal by by only 1 point, with a final score of 105 for Williamson to 104 for Yuan.

Yuan, who managed to maintain a draw with Williamson until the latter shot her last arrow, looked distraught after coming so close to winning an Olympic medal.

Yuan and fellow team member Wu Hui-ju (吳蕙如) easily defeated their opponents in the preliminary rounds to enter the quarterfinals earlier yesterday.

During the quarterfinals, Yuan fell behind her opponent Yun Mi-jin, South Korea's Olympic Gold medal winner, at the first six arrows.

Yuan shot two 10s at the eighth and ninth arrow, which reversed the game to 81-80 in her favor after shooting nine arrows.

Yun made her worst shot with her final arrow, getting seven points and losing to Yuan 105-107 after a total of 12 arrows.

Wu was defeated by another South Korean, Lee Sung-jin, with a score of 103-104. Wu led the contest with her first nine arrows, but made her worst shot at the tenth with only seven points.

Wu and Lee drew even at the 11th shot with 94-94. Lee successfully made a 10-point shot and her performance gave Wu no room for mistake. Wu seemed to buckle under pressure and made a nine-point shot.

"The hot weather affected me a lot at the start of the match, but then I focused and I shot a lot of 10s," Yuan told the media after her quarterfinal victory.

"I did not feel any pressure and now I am looking forward to the next round," she said.

Taiwanese media have described Yuan as an athlete with no fear. Compared with Yuan's bold character, the 21-year-old Wu admitted that she was nervous at the beginning of the match, "but when my opponent shot a six, I realized that I could win."

"Yuan never seems to be nervous. This is Yuan's biggest advantage," said her coach, Shih Ya-ping (施雅萍).

Meanwhile, the women's softball team defeated Italy 1-0. Yesterday's victory created an opportunity for the team to enter the final four rounds.

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