Tsinghua's students are aiming for excellence

Renowned for civil engineering and quantum physics, it is perhaps surprising to learn where one of Tsinghua University's most popular courses takes place - an underground shooting range.

Every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, the cracks of rifles and pistols echo around the basement of the university's sports hall as students take aim to practice the fundamentals of air gun shooting.

The 45-minute sessions are part of the university's optional courses for undergraduates and are highly coveted by the students. The 40 available spots on the 16-week program are usually snapped up within hours of the selection opening each semester.

"There is a saying in Tsinghua for freshmen that you are lucky to succeed signing up for this course before your graduation," said Dong Zhi, a faculty member managing the program.

Tsinghua's roots in the sport date back to the 1950s when the university first formed a team.

However, after a long hiatus, shooting was reestablished on campus in 1999 and has since flourished.

With student athletes drafted from its affiliated high school and various regional sports schools, the program combines academic education and intensive shooting training, and has cultivated over 300 champions in domestic and international events.

Its biggest success stories include London 2012 Olympic champion Yi Siling (women's 10m air rifle), 2017 world junior champion Cao Lijia (women's 25m pistol) and Asian junior record holder Wang Yuefeng (men's 10m rifle).

"Tsinghua's elite performance at the shooting range has matched its academic prestige at home and overseas," said Yang Bin, vice-president of the university and manager of the shooting program.

"The trailblazing effort of developing elite-level sports talents on campus to diversify the country's State-run talent cultivation system is of greater significance than winning medals."

Traditionally, elite athletes of Olympic events in China were identified at an early age and trained by the State-run system, isolated from ordinary schools.

Without a sound collegiate sports system as a springboard to pro competition, most of China's young talent in ordinary high schools must give up their pursuit of a serious sports career, focusing instead on the all-important college entrance examination.

The team now has 26 registered student athletes, most majoring in business administration. Four of those have been called up by the national team with a view to representing their country in the International Shooting Sport Federation's World Cup series.

Shooters take their respective academic classes in the morning before training at the range in the afternoon for as long as four hours. The self-study night session keeps them busy till bed time.

"The combination of exposure to campus life, intellectual exercise through academic study as well as learning time-management skills through their tight daily schedules all contribute to helping them develop on the shooting course," said coach Gao Jing, who won bronze in the women's 10m air rifle at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Gao, a product of the State-run system, joined Tsinghua's program as an assistant coach in 2005 and has been responsible for the rifle group since 2007.

She believes the future of China's talent development in the sport lies on the campus.

"I always say to them that the target is as big as your heart is," said the 39-year-old Tianjin native.

"The experience of studying and developing as an all-around person can not only help students in their athletic pursuits but also in their careers.

"The mental toughness and focus honed through shooting training will benefit their future careers."