Rio de Janeiro (dpa) – It was the first gold medal at the Rio Olympics and arguably the first surprise of the games: Unheralded 19-year-old Virginia Thrasher of the U.S. came out on top ahead of two top Chinese women in the 10m air rifle event.
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Virginia Thrasher went through a three-week spring whirlwind, winning three NCAA titles and a spot on the U.S. Olympic Shooting team.
Thrasher says all she could do was to stay focused and it means a lot that she defeated the veterans in such an intense competition, “I was just thinking just shoot a ten”.
Thrasher always dreamt of being an Olympian – but as a figure skater. “But I knew it was realistic to get into the finals, and once get into finals anything can happen”.
“It means an incredible amount to me to be able to represent the US and do so positively”, said Thrasher.
Thrasher had a quick rise to the top. During the hunting trip with her grandfather, father and two brothers, the athlete aimed at a deer, pulled the trigger and eventually killed the animal with just one shot.
This is Thrasher’s first Olympics, but she’s no stranger to carrying a team.
The freshman won national titles in both small-bore and air rifle during the NCAA championships in March. The injury highlighted the dangers of a sport that steps into the world’s spotlight every four years and led some to question if the current scoring system is making gymnasts push themselves too far. It may just be the beginning of the Olympics but the best has yet to come. There was much distraction during the event, specifically from a fan blowing an air horn randomly.
In the final round, she opened with a slight lead before shooting a 10.5 out of 10.9, which Li Du matched.
“I’m so happy to start off Rio 2016 with a gold medal for my country”, Thrasher said. Defending champion Siling Yi of China was third. Yi earned air rifle gold at the 2012 London Games just three years after starting her global shooting career. Thrasher turned it on and “never looked back after hitting the front for the second time after the 11th of 20 shots in the final”.
WOMEN FIRST: France won the first game of rugby at the Olympics in 92 years – and the first ever for women – beating Spain 24-7 to begin the six-day sevens tournament. Yi went out after a 9.8 on her final shot to earn bronze. Thrasher won by 208 points, while Du (a two-time gold medalist) got 207 points and Yi (also a gold victor at the 2012 London Games) scored 185.4.
“It was something I loved, but it was a hobby”, she said.
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Norway’s Camilla Herrem throws her head back as Norway lose the women’s preliminary handball match between Norway and Brazil at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016.
