Hoang secures Vietnam's first Olympic gold medal
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Xuan Vinh Hoang secured Vietnam's first Olympic gold medal on Saturday, winning the men's 10-metre air pistol event after holding off crowd favorite Felipe Wu of host country Brazil.
The 41-year-old Vietnamese army member racked up a score of 202.5 in 20 shots, just 0.4 of a point ahead of Wu, a 24-year-old who is competing in his first Olympics. China's Pang Wei took the bronze.
On the first day of competition at the Deodoro Shooting Centre, the Brazilian crowd whooped and whistled for Wu during the Brazilian anthem before he and the Vietnamese shooter battled for top spot. Wu's second place gave Brazil its first medal of the Games, the first to be held in South America.
Defending Olympic champion Jin Jong-oh of South Korea failed to recover from a poor start and finished fifth.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
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