CHATEAUROUX, France, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Adriana Ruano Oliva of Guatemala won her country's first-ever Olympic gold medal after finishing first in the women's trap here on Wednesday.
Having qualified third with 122 hits, the 29-year-old set a new Olympic record with 45 hits in the final, two hits more than the previous one. She was followed by Silvana Maria Stanco from Italy, who shot down 40 targets to snatch a silver.
"I can't even believe it's for real. I'm so happy. I'm honored to be here, and it wasn't easy to get here again. I want to thank Guatemala, and also my father," said Ruano Oliva, whose father passed away a month before her competitions at the Tokyo Olympics, where she had finished 26th in women's trap.
Ruano Oliva started her career as a gymnast until a spinal injury forced her to retire in 2011 when she was 16 years old. After recovering, she picked up shooting on the advice of her doctor and a friend of her brother.
"My dream was to be at the Olympics in gymnastics," she explained. "But right now, I am in this sport, and it's really incredible. I have a real passion for this sport."
Silver medalist Stanco was also happy for her improvement from the fifth place finish three years ago.
"It means a lot. After Tokyo, I was really disappointed. But I worked hard, and I really wanted this medal. I did everything right, and I am just very excited right now," said the 31-year-old.
The bronze medal was grabbed by Penny Smith from Australia, who survived a shoot-off between three shooters in the qualification to make it to the final.
China's Wu Cuicui finished sixth in the final. ■
