Czech markswoman Katerina Emmons led all the way to snatch the gold medal in women's 10-meter air rifle, the first gold of the Beijing Olympics.

Emmons' winning total of 503.5 points also improved the Olympic record of the discipline by a margin of 1.5 points.

Among the slowest to finish, the 25-year-old blonde equaled world record of qualification round with a perfect 400 points. In the ten-shot final, she did well at the beginning but lapsed at the third shot with a 9.7 points.

However, the Athens Olympic bronze medalist managed to adjust herself quickly to follow with a 10.9, which incurred thunderous applauses.

Always the last to open fire, Emmons scored the following five shots above ten.

Although she finished her impressive performance with a 9.9 at last shot, it was high enough to ensure her a first Olympic gold.

Sheding tears in excitement, the pretty shooter turned around to embrace and kiss her husband, American shooter and Olympic champion Matthew Emmons, who had been watching behind her throughout the qualification and the final.

"It was a real break," she said emotionally.

"The competition was hard for all of us. I am glad it is over," added the champion.

Talking about her husband, the girl had happiness written on her face. "It was great to have him here," she beamed, "We played as a team, maybe one of the best."

The silver medal was grabbed by famous Russian shooter Lioubov Galkina with 502.1 points after a seesaw battle with Croat rising star Snjezana Pejcic.

The latter, a 26-year-old debutant who got bronze in 50-meter rifle three positions at the Munich World Cup earlier this year, settled for a bronze with 500.9 points.

The 35-year-old Galkina was also silver medalist at the Athens Olympics in 2004, when she was outscored by Chinese shooter Du Li only after the last single shot.

"I was happy with the result," she said on Saturday after the competition.

"Last time I lost the gold medal, while this time, I earned the silver," said the new mother who withdrew last year in competitions due to pregnancy.

Regaining her sharpness quickly this year, Galkina said that her qualification score, 399, was her best this season.

Du Li, Athens Olympic champion and former Olympic record holder, seemed out of gear and finished fifth with 499.6 points. She achieved 399 points in the qualification round. But in the final, she scored none of her shots above 10.5 point.

Stepping out of the final hall, the 26-year-old girl from the east Shandong Province cried.

Both Emmons and Galkina "felt sad" for their Chinese counterpart.

"She could have played better, but she had too much pressure," said Emmons, who wanted to give her flowers to Du as comfort.

Galkina noted that it was both "good and bad to play at home". "She did well in the qualification round," she said.

Their opinions were shared by Xiao Haopeng, leader of the Chinese shooting squad.

"She faces great pressure on her own soil and tried her best. Her qualification score reflects her normal level," he said.

But in the final, Xiao found all her shots deflected. "Maybe there was something wrong with her aiming area," he said.

In previous competitions, Du was slow in pulling the trigger like Emmons. But this time, she appeared impatient, Xiao explained.

German left-handed shooter, double world record holder Sonja Pfeilschifter, chalked in 396 points in the qualification round and failed to appear in the final.

Another Chinese shooter Zhao Yinghui, with 389 points, was also shut out of the final.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2008)