American shootist Virginia Thrasher won the first gold medal of the Rio Olympics, capturing the women’s 10-meter air rifle.
The 19-year-old capped a strong year. She became the first freshman collegian to win both individual NCAA rifle titles and helped West Virginia win the team title. She followed that by winning the U.S. Olympic trials less than a month later, earning her trip to Rio de Janeiro.
Ms. Thrasher was sixth in the qualification round on Saturday and shot a perfect 10.9 on her opening shot in the finals.
She stayed in the top spot as her competitors fell off in the new-to-the-Olympics elimination finals, consistently hitting 10s despite a fan blowing an air horn at random times.
The 19-year-old capped a strong year. She became the first freshman collegian to win both individual NCAA rifle titles and helped West Virginia win the team title. She followed that by winning the U.S. Olympic trials less than a month later, earning her trip to Rio de Janeiro.
Ms. Thrasher was sixth in the qualification round on Saturday and shot a perfect 10.9 on her opening shot in the finals.
She stayed in the top spot as her competitors fell off in the new-to-the-Olympics elimination finals, consistently hitting 10s despite a fan blowing an air horn at random times.