Chinese Zhang Xiaoping beats Ireland's Kenny Egan to win the Olympic light weight (81kg) gold medal on Sunday. [Xinhua]

Chinese Zhang Xiaoping beat Ireland's Kenny Egan to win the Olympic light weight (81kg) boxing gold medal at the Olympic Games, the first gold of its kind for the country, in Beijing on Sunday.

Zhang, a dark horse in the Olympic boxing competition, maintained the leading position through out the match and ended it at 11-7. Zhang and Egan got the same point in the second and third rounds, but Zhang obtained a better start and ending.

It is a breakthrough for China's boxing as none of Chinese heavy weight boxers had won Olympic medals before. Just before Zhang's victory, his team mate "Pirate" Zou Shiming claimed the gold of 48 kg at the Beijing Olympic Games.

"I'm really excited. Before the Olympic Games, I was just a normal athlete but now I am a gold medalist," said Zhang.

"I did perfectly today and did very well psychologically and physically. I fought with 100 per cent of my skills all through the Olympic Games, from beginning to end," he added.