U.S. shooter Virginia Thrasher wins first gold at Rio 2016

Virginia Thrasher of the United States celebrates her gold medal in the Women's 10m Air Rifle event at Rio 2016. (Hassan Ammar/AP)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — American shooter Virginia Thrasher has won the first gold medal of the Rio Olympics in the women’s 10-meter air rifle.

Thrasher finished a point ahead of two-time gold medallist Li Du of China. China’s Siling Yu earned the bronze.

The 19-year-old Thrasher became the first freshman 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 a trip to Rio.

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