[caption id="attachment_178188" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]Virginia Thrasher of the United States competes during the Women's 10m Air Rifle Qualification at Olympic Shooting Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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By JACQUELINE KLIMAS, Washington Examiner
The U.S. has won the first gold medal of the Rio Olympics thanks to Ginny Thrasher, a Springfield, Va., native.
Thrasher won gold in the 10-meter air rifle event on Saturday morning, also setting a new Olympic record in the finals.
The 19-year-old is a sophomore at West Virginia University, where she became an NCAA champion her freshman year, according to theteam's website. She first fell in love with shooting while deer hunting with her dad and grandfather.
Another American in the competition, Sarah Scherer, reportedly finished eighth.