Shooter aiming to find lost dad

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The vast internet community in a nation of 1.3 billion is leading the search for Guo's father following her triumph in the 10 metres air pistol event, touched by the news of how heartbroken the 24-year-old athlete has been since the man who had introduced her to the sport walked out on her when she was a teenager.

Guo became so upset by the absence of her dad that she almost quit shooting last year and her coach, Huang Yanhua, had to convince her to keep going by telling her her father would be disappointed if she gave up.

"Winning an Olympic gold medal could be the most effective 'missing persons' notice," he told her.

Guo's parents had divorced soon after she was born and her father raised her and introduced her to shooting when she was 14. Yet one night in 1999 when she was competing in a match away from her home, he left her a note to the coach saying: "I'm going far away. I want you to treat Wenjun as your own daughter and help her do her very best".

Guo's sense of being abandoned saw her drop out of training several times but when she was closest to giving up last year, coach Huang told her to "hold on" and inspired such confidence in Guo that she told her coach: "I'll do well in the Games and my dad will see me and be proud."

Tens of thousands of net users in China have since set up community sites in a bid to find him.