First U.S. Gold in Rio: Shooter Ginny Thrasher Hits Milestone Target

RIO DE JANEIRO — The first U.S. gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games was won Saturday by Ginny Thrasher. The 19-year-old grad from Springfield, Va., won the 10-meter air rifle finals.

This is the first Olympics for Thrasher. She won the silver medal in the same competition during the 2015 USA Shooting National Championship.

She was named the top performer at the 2015 NCAA Championships, where she was the first freshman to win the team and individual air rifle titles.

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Thrasher graduated from West Springfield High in 2015. She is currently studying engineering at West Virginia University.

In the final competition Saturday, Thrasher had a strong first shot, according to the Associated Press, and she actually smiled after a second shot put her in solid position for the gold medal.

Trasher holds more than 20 National Rifle Association and USA Shooting records, according to her WVU profile. She was also the 2015 Virginia air rifle state champion.

In the first round Saturday, Thrasher hit a bullseye on her first shot for a perfect score, according to The Washington Post. In the final duel, she finished a full point ahead of silver medalist Li Du of China.

Profile photo courtesy of Team USA