YanXiao Gong

Futures Team

Date of birth:

12/31/1997

Hometown:

Malibu, California

College:

The Los Angeles Film School

Olympic Experience:

  • 2024 Paris Paralympic Games: Silver medal, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1; 8th place, P4 Mixed 50m Free Pistol SH1
  • 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, 9th Place, P1 Men's 10m air pistol SH1; 10th Place, Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1; 16th Place, P4 Mixed 50m Free Pistol SH1

Biography:

Xiao began shooting at an early age as a hobby. Around 2012, Xiao began formally practicing with the Bridge Jr. Team under coach In Kim. In 2017, while focusing on rehab and therapy, Xiao practiced shooting one of the fun ways to focus his mind and pass the time between rehabs.

He attended his first international match, the World Shooting Para Sport Championships, in 2019 where he fired an impressive 564 in the P3 - Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1 event that advanced him into the final top eight. In doing so, Xiao earned the United States their first pistol quota spot for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. He credits this match as the moment where all his training and time spent in the sport registered and the Paralympic Games seemed like an attainable goal. Not long after this match, Xiao moved to the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center to practice full-time as a resident athlete. Tokyo 2020 was Xiao’s first Paralympic Games appearance.

In 2023 Xiao became the World Champion and ParaPan American champion in P3. Xiao's success continued at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games where he earned a silver medal in the event. Xiao's medal is the first male Paralympic medal for the U.S. since 2004 and the first Paralympic pistol medal for the U.S. since 1984.

Competition Highlights:

  • Currently Ranked #1 in the World in P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1
  • 2024 USA Shooting National Championships: Gold, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1; Gold, P4 Mixed 50m Free Pistol SH1; Gold, P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1
  • 2023 Parapan American Games: Gold and Record Broken, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1; Bronze, P1 Men’s Air Pistol SH1; 5th Place and Qualification Record Broken, P4 Mixed 50m Free Pistol SH1
  • 2023 World Shooting Para Sport Championships: Gold, P3 Mixed 25m Pistol SH1; Bronze, P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1; Bronze, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1 Team Event
  • 2023 USA Shooting National Champion in P4 Mixed 50m Free Pistol SH1, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1, and P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1
  • 2023 WSPS Changwon World Cup: 5th Place, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1
  • 2022 WSPS Peru Grand Prix: Gold, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol Sh1; Gold P4 Mixed 50m Free Pistol Sh1; Silver, P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1
  • 2022 WSPS Chateauroux World Cup: 8th Place, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1
  • 2021 WSPS Lima World Cup: Bronze, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1, Bronze
  • 2021 WSPS Lima World Cup: Gold, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1 Team Event; Silver, P4 Mixed 50m Free Pistol SH1; Bronze, P1 Men's 10m Air Pistol SH1; Bronze, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1
  • 2019 World Shooting Para Sport Championships: 8th place and Paralympic Quota Winner, P3 Mixed 25m Sport Pistol SH1