(VNF) - After six decades of competing in the Olympics, Vietnam boasts its first ever gold medal thanks to shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh who won the men’s 10m air pistol at the summer games in Rio de Janeiro.

Gold medalist Hoang Xuan Vinh (C) poses on the podium with Brazil's silver medal winner Felipe Almeida Wu (L) and China's bronze medalist Pang Wei (R) (Source: Pascal Guyot - AFP)

Colonel Vinh, 42, made history in Rio when a near-perfect final shot clinched him gold.

He scored 202.5 points in the final round, breaking the previous Olympic record, just 0.4 of a point ahead of Wu, a 24-year-old who is competing in his first Olympics.

Felipe Almeida Wu of host Brazil won the silver medal, scoring 202.1 points, and China’s Pang Wei got the bronze, with 180.4 points.

A see-saw battle between the two for most of the final, according to Nbc Olympics.

Wu had a .2 lead going into the final shot. He shot first and scored a 10.1.

Vinh contemplated his last bullet longer than usual, earning an additional 10.7 points to surpass Wu’s result and gain the medal.

Wu was set for the gold but had to settle for second place as the Vinh denied him with a stunning last effort.

Wu's silver medal is Brazil's first of the games, and first shooting medal since 1920. Vinh's gold medal is Vietnam's first ever gold medal.

Hoang Xuan Vinh celebrates his shooting gold (Source: Pascal Guyot - AFP)

"I'm very lucky, it's the first gold medal in Vietnam's history, I feel very lucky, thank you everybody," Vinh said at a press conference.

"Making this gold medal is a life memory, never forget this. Because (it is the) first time making a gold medal for Vietnam." He added.

According to Coach Nguyen Thi Nhung, Vinh’s medal is a result of an arduous training process.

The 2012 Summer Olympics in London ended in heartbreak for Vinh, who finished ninth in the men’s 10m air pistol in the qualifying round, failing to make the cut for the final by a single point. He also failed to win a medal, taking fourth place in the men’s 50m pistol final, with a score only 0.1 less than the winner of the bronze medal.

In past Games, Vietnam won two silver medals.

Vinh’s teammate, Tran Quoc Cuong ranked 26^th in the qualifying round in the men’s 10m air pistol.

Judoka Van Ngoc Tu defeated Valentina Moscatt of Italy but lost to Jeong Bo Kyeong of South Korea in the 1/8 round of the women’s 48kg.

Fencer Nguyen Thi Nhu Hoa lost to Auriane Mallo of France 7-15 in the qualifying round.

Gymnast Pham Phuoc Hung was 28^th in the qualifying round of the men’s parallel bars. Weightlifer Vuong Thi Huyen failed in the women’s 48kg.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Anh Vien came in ninth in the qualifiers of the women’s 400m inpidual medley with a time of 4:36.85./.

Minh Phuong ( Nbc Olympics )