By Sportswriter Bai Xu

    BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- If fairy tales could turn into reality, Czech shooter Katerina Emmons must be the heroine.

    At the Beijing Olympics, the 25-year-old blonde was crowned in women's 10-meter air rifle event on Saturday. She not only gained first gold medal of the spectacular sports gala, but improved both qualification and final Olympic records to 400 and 503.5 points respectively.

Markswoman Katerina Emmons of Czech celebrates after women's 10m air rifle final awarding ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games at Beijing Shooting Range Hall in Beijing, China, Aug. 9, 2008. Katerina Emmons won the gold medal in the event with 503.5 points. (Xinhua/Wang Qingjin) Photo Gallery>>>

    "It was a real break," said the excited Emmons who, with tears in her eyes, turned around immediately after learning the results to hug and kiss her husband Matthew Emmons, attracting many photographers to snap photos.

    Matthew, who had been sitting behind throughout her competitions both in qualification round and final, was a famous American shooter and Athens Olympic gold medallist.

    The name Katerina Emmons became familiar to people this spring, when the newly wedded clinched gold medal in the discipline at the Good Luck Beijing World Cup, a test event before the Olympics, with an impressive final round of 105.9 points and a total of 504.9 points.

Markswoman Katerina Emmons of Czech celebrates after women's 10m air rifle final awarding ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games at Beijing Shooting Range Hall in Beijing, China, Aug. 9, 2008. (Xinhua/Bao Feifei) Photo Gallery>>>

    Better known with her original name surname Kurkova before marriage, Katy had spent seven years practicing swimming until her illness stopped her from going on. Bored from not being able to compete any more, she was suggested by her father Petr Kurka, a double world champion in three positions, to pick up rifle at the age of 14.

    The attempt was proved successful five years later, when the teenage shooter earned a gold medal on the star-studded international arena of 2002 World Championships.

    Two years later, she grabbed a bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where she met Matt.

    A commentator for the Czech Television, the kind-hearted Katy witnessed tragedy of the legendary marksman, as he, just one shot away from his second Athens Olympic gold, made a stunning mistake by firing at the wrong target in the final, got a big fat zero and plunged to the eighth.

    Then the physical therapy major made her "best decision".

    "I felt sorry for him," she said, "I just needed to tell him how I felt and ... it doesn't matter."

Katerina Emmons (C) of Czech, Lioubov Galknia (L) of Russia and Snjezana Pejcic of Croatia wave on podium during the awarding ceremony of women's 10m air rifle at Beijing Olympic Games at Beijing Shooting Range Hall in Beijing, China, Aug. 9, 2008. Katerina Emmons won the gold medal in the event with 503.5 points. Lioubov Galknia and Snjezana Pejcic took the silver and bronze.(Xinhua/Jiao Weiping) Photo Gallery>>>

    That was the first time the girl plucked up to talk to the world champion. Before that he seemed aloft to her.

    They called the meeting magic.

    "I just felt like we had a lot of things we could talk about, a lot in common," Katy recalled.

    In the following days, competitions granted them more chances to meet and about one year later, the shooters from two distant nations fell in love.

    Matt proposed after half a year. "Close your eyes and wait here. I will be right back," he said. When Katy opened her eyes, her romantic lover brought back a ring.

    Their wedding ceremony was held on June 30 last year in Katy's hometown Plzen, the place where golden lager beer was born in 1842.

Markswoman Katerina Emmons of Czech celebrates with her husband after women's 10m Air rifle final of Beijing Olympic Games at Beijing Shooting Range Hall in Beijing, China, Aug. 9, 2008.   (Xinhua/Jiao Weiping) Photo Gallery>>>

    Reluctant to separate, they split time between the United States and Czech Republic after marriage. "She helps me in air rifle and I help her in small-bore," said the husband with happiness written on his face.

    With rings on their fingers, the pair was seen at the World Cup Final in Bangkok in 2007, when Matt snatched a gold medal in rifle three positions and a silver in men's prone, while Katy, competing for the first time with her name as "Katy Emmons," got a bronze in air rifle.

    During the final round of her wife's competition at Good Luck Beijing, Matt found a good position at the auditorium. Each time before his wife made a shot, he closed his eyes to pray, opening a few seconds later when Katy just aimed and clicked the trigger.

    "With him by my side, I could concentrate more," said the contented lady after that event.

    "We are competing like a team, maybe one of the best," she added four months later.

    Believing that half of her job was done after the Olympic air rifle competition, Katy is still going to compete in women's 50-meter rifle three positions while Matt will be in both 50-meter rifle prone and three-positions events.

    Katy had said she didn't care much about the outcome of this Olympics. "We will be happy at whatever result," she said.

    She might have duel nationality in the future but that would be a long time later.

    She planned to buy a house, have babies and start a family, but was unsure when the quit or if she would keep on competing.

    For fairy tales, the ending normally is "prince and princess have their wishes fulfilled and live happily ever after".

    May this also be true to Katy and Matt.

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