STATES CLAIM FIRST GOLD
Nancy Johnson of Chicago, United States, presents the gold medal she won in the Women's Air Rifle final at the Sydney International Shooting Center. Picture: Michael Probst/AP
|
Nancy Johnson, of the United States, won the first gold medal of the Sydney
Olympics when she triumphed in the women’s 10m air rifle. Korea’s Cho-Hyun
Kang took the silver and the bronze went to Jing Gao of China.
"That was my goal and I achieved my goal," Johnson said, who finished with a score of 497.7 and won the medal with her final shot.
The men's gold in the same discipline went to Franck Dumoulin of France with China's Wang Yifu second and Igor Basinsky of Belarus taking the bronze.
Dumoulin racked up 688.9pts to win his first Olympic medal in a competition dominated by himself and Wang throughout.
The medal marked an inspiring comeback from Dumoulin, who was left wheelchair bound after a motorcycle accident shattered one of his legs last year.
Ian Peel is in medal contention after the first day of men’s trap qualifying. He is ranked third after collecting 70 points in the opening three rounds.
Britain's four-time Olympic Peter Boden, who turns 53 in two days, is in joint 27th place on 63 points.
PETER WATTS
Sunday Times
