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Will Shaner wins gold, sets Olympic record in 10-meter air rifle for Team USA

A 20-year-old Kentucky shooter claimed the second gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics for the United States.

Will Shaner won the men’s 10-meter air rifle Sunday with a final round score of 251.6 at the Asaka Shooting Range, edging out China’s Sheng Lihao, 16, by 0.7. China’s Yang Haoran took the bronze medal, finishing 0.4 behind Sheng.

Shaner’s win set an Olympic record and marked the first gold medal won in the event for the United States.

He's fresh off a second-place finish in the NCAA air rifle individual championship, and he also helped lead Kentucky to back-to-back team titles. Lucas Kozeniesky, Shaner’s Kentucky teammate, finished sixth in the event in Japan with a score of 165.

Shaner’s win is the second gold medal of the Olympics for the Americans. Swimmer Chase Kalisz won the men’s 400-meter individual medley on Sunday morning, the first of six total swimming medals on the day — the most ever by Team USA on the first day of Olympic swimming finals.

Gold medalist and Olympic record holder William Shaner of the United States stands on the podium after winning the men's 10-meter air rifle on Sunday in Asaka, Japan. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Gold medalist and Olympic record holder William Shaner of the United States stands on the podium after winning the men's 10-meter air rifle on Sunday in Asaka, Japan. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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