American teenager Virginia Thrasher has bagged the first gold medal at the Rio Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday, August 6. The 19-year-old triumphed in the women's 10-meter air rifle event, beating two of the world's top shooters, China's Du Li and Yi Siling.
Thrasher, who hails from Springfield, Virginia, received her first gold of the Games from International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, The Independent reported. Thrasher won by 208 points, while Du (a two-time gold medalist) got 207 points and Yi (also a gold winner at the 2012 London Games) scored 185.4. Listed below are the complete results of the 10m air rifle event.
1. Virginia Thrasher (U.S.) - 208.0 points
2. Du Li (China) - 207.0
3. Yi Siling (China) - 185.4
4. Barbara Engleder (Germany) - 165.0
5. Daria Vdovina (Russia) - 143.5
6. Elaheh Ahmadi (Iran) - 122.5
7. Snjezana Pejcic (Croatia) - 102.0
8. Sarah Scherer (U.S.) - 78.6
Speaking about her win at the Rio Olympics 2016, Thrasher said it was beyond her "wildest dreams." She continued, "I knew it was a realistic expectation for me to get into the finals and once you get into the finals, anything can happen. For me, this year has been incredible."
Thrasher's performance at the final round was impressive, opening with a 10.5 with a 0.7-point lead. Li matched that score, but only got a 10.1 on her final shot while Thrasher scored a 10.4.
About halfway through the finals, Thrasher was certain that she "was in contention for a medal," the Associated Press reported (via Business Insider). She, however, "pushed that thought away" and instead "focused on breathing, just taking one shot at a time." There was much distraction during the event, specifically from a fan blowing an air horn randomly.
Shooting wasn't really Thrasher's main sport. She grew up as a figure skater, but decided to switch her path five years ago after a hunting trip with her family. Thrasher shot a deer with her first shot at that hunting trip, which was also her first, the AP noted.
Thrasher was the first freshman to take home both individual NCAA rifle titles earlier this year, according to the Rio Olympics 2016 website. Less than a month later, she won at the U.S. Olympic trials, which helped her earn a spot at the Rio Olympic Games.
After Rio, Thrasher will return to her studies as a sophomore student at West Virginia University. Thrasher, a biomedical engineering major, will begin her classes on August 17. She said that she's "actually looking forward to getting back to school again," the AP further reported.
