Modest Vinh makes history for Vietnam

Hoang Xuan Vinh of Vietnam holds his gold medal on Saturday after the 10m air pistol. [Photo/Agencies]

Hoang Xuan Vinh ended Vietnam's six-decade wait for an Olympic gold medal on Saturday, but he wasn't about to make a song and dance about his historic feat.

The 41-year-old military officer finally struck the Olympic bull's-eye for Vietnam to deny Brazil an opening-day title at Rio 2016.

Vinh fell into the arms of his coaches after his near-perfect final shot in the men's 10m air pistol. He had been dueling with Sao Paulo-born Felipe Almeida Wu, who had taken the lead after the penultimate round.

The Vietnamese history-maker claimed the title with a total of 202.5 points. Crowd favorite Wu, almost 20 years his junior, took silver only 0.3 adrift.

But if Vinh was feeling proud at ending a quest for his country that began in Helsinki in 1952, he didn't show it.

"I feel very lucky. Thank you everybody," he said. "Making this gold medal is a life memory, never forget this. Because (it is the) first time making a gold medal for Vietnam."

Wu, Brazil's first Olympic shooting medalist since 1920, praised his uplifting home support and said he hoped his performance would boost the sport's popularity in soccer-mad Brazil.

On winning the 2016 host's first medal of these Games, he added: "There are no words to describe how happy I am. We work very hard, and everything is worth the pain. Pain on my shoulder, pain in my back, but I will forget about all this pain now.

"It is just perfect. I hope that the sport of shooting becomes more popular in Brazil. I don't know how, but I hope people get interested in this sport and start to practice, and I think that is a good thing, to win a medal. I hope it will be good for shooting."

Bronze went to Pang Wei of China, while South Korean defending champion Jin Jong-oh trailed in fifth.

Jin had his head in his hands walking off after failing to replicate his heroics in London. He also won 50m pistol gold four years ago and will be hoping to turn around his form when he defends that title later in the competition.

Agence France-Presse