Alex Brandon/AP
toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP
Qian Yang of China celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women s 10-meter air rifle at the Asaka Shooting Range in the Summer Olympics on Saturday. Alex Brandon/AP
The first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics goes to Qian Yang from China, after the 21-year-old came out on top in the women s 10 meter air rifle competition.
Yang narrowly beat out Russia s Anastasiia Galashina and set an Olympic record. The bronze medal went to Swiss shooter Nina Christen.
Yang jubilantly held up her medal during the ceremony, along with a small bouquet of flowers. Due to coronavirus protocols, medals were passed to the winners on a tray and they placed them around their own necks. Usually, a dignitary would put the medals on the winners.
China has won the first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics
From CNN Sport s Jill Martin
From left: Anastasiia Galashina of Russia, Yang Qian of China, and third-placed Nina Christen of Switzerland at the end of the 10m Air Rifle Women s Final. Michael Reynolds/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
China’s Yang Qian has won gold in the women s 10m air rifle, the first medal event of the 2020 Olympic Games. Yang’s 251.8 points is a final Olympic record.
Russian
Anastasiia Galashina clinched the silver medal.
Russian athletes aren’t competing under their national name at the Olympics due to continuing sanctions over doping. They are officially recognized as members of ROC, an abbreviation of the Russian Olympic Committee.
China s Qian Yang puts her gold medal on after it was presented by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, after winning the gold medal in the women s 10-meter air rifle at the Asaka Shooting Range on Saturday. Photo: AP/Alex Brandon tokyo 2020 olympics
China s Yang wins 1st gold of Tokyo Olympics in air rifle July 24 11:53 am JST July 24 | 03:16 pm JST TOKYO
Yang Qian sat just 0.2 points from a gold medal and uncorked her worst shot of the finals.
No way a 9.8 was going to be enough to overtake Anastasiia Galashina.
Turns out, it was - by a long shot.
Yang won the first gold medal of the Tokyo Games on Thursday, setting an Olympic record in 10-meter air rifle with 251.8 points despite a shaky final shot. Nina Christen of Switzerland took bronze.
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