Viginia Thrasher from US wins first gold medal at Rio Olympic Games
Saturday 6 August 2016 16:54, UK
America claimed the first gold medal at the Rio Olympics after teenage shooter Virginia Thrasher won the women's 10-metre air rifle event.
The 19-year-old ended with a cumulative score of 208.0, edging China's Li Du into second place by a point, while another Chinese shooter, Siling Yu, claimed the bronze.
Thrasher shot 10.5 with her first attempt of the final elimination round and grinned with delight after extending her lead with a second shot of 10.4.
This opening win for the US continued Thrasher's impressive rise as she became the first freshman to win both individual NCAA rifle titles and helped West Virginia win the team title.
Just a month later, Thrasher followed that by winning the US Olympic Trials, earning a trip to Rio.
American Sarah Scherer made the finals in her return to the Olympics after two back operations, but was eliminated in the first round, finishing eighth.
