Sharpshooter Du Li has cried twice at the Beijing Olympics: once after she failed to take the first gold of the Games, and then again five days later after she claimed the title in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions.

"Five days ago, I cried because I felt extremely regretful and I let so many people down. Today, I was moved to tears after seeing so many people support me whether I won or lost," she said after winning her second Olympic gold medal Thursday.

Four years ago, the Olympic debutant from Shandong province shocked everyone by beating Russian veteran Lioubov Galkina in the women's 10m air rifle on her last shot to claim the first gold of the 2004 Athens Games. Since then, she has become a star in the sport, winning titles at the Olympics, World Championships and World Cup Final.

Gold medalist Du Li at the medal-awarding ceremony after winning her second Olympic gold medal Thursday [sportsphoto.cn]

When the Beijing Games competition schedule was released, it became evident that the women's 10m air rifle would produce the first gold. The defending champion shouldered the nation's hopes that she would be the one to win it.

But the pressure to take the first Olympic gold on home soil was too much for the 26-year-old, who crashed in front of millions of home fans in the 10m air rifle final, taking home a disappointing fifth.

"I was not well prepared to compete at home," a dejected Du told reporters afterward.

Even Du's rivals felt sorry for her, sympathetic to the pressure she had to endure.

"I felt so bad for her. There were so many media watching her and following her during training. It is really tough for any athlete," said eventual first-gold winner Katerina Emmons of the Czech Republic.

But Du is still the apple of the eyes of Chinese sports fans and opponents alike. Emmons gave her a big hug and wished her good luck in future games and Chinese fans have been understanding and remained supportive.

"All the people around me encouraged me after my loss, including Chinese journalists, volunteers and many strangers. The volunteers passed me a lot of nice cards with touching words from my fans that I really appreciated," Du said.

Depressed and full of self-doubt, Du endured five of the most difficult days of her life.

"I did not do well in my training, actually I was thinking of withdrawing from the competition. But I held on and made it."

In order to focus on the 10m rifle, Du gave up training for the three positions prior to Athens. She took up the event again after 2004 and improved rapidly, cruising through her Olympic tryout in Beijing.

Happy for a fresh start in another event Thursday, Du shrugged off the pressure of five days before and coolly equaled the Olympic record of 589 points in the 50m 3 positions on her way to the final.

"It's not a perfect Games for me. I have some regrets, but that's sports, always full of regret. I can learn a lot from the regret and it will help me become stronger and better in the future," she said.