The first athlete to qualify for the London Olympics also won its first gold medal yesterday.

Yi Siling of China, who earned a shooting quota spot when she won the world women's 10-meter air rifle championship in Munich two years ago, capped her domination of the discipline since then with the Olympic title on her debut.

"I feel like I had a lot of luck," Yi said, even though the results said otherwise.

Unheralded Polish soldier Sylwia Bogacka topped qualifying and had gold in her grasp until the third-to-last shot. She recovered to claim silver for her first major medal.

Yu Dan of China earned the bronze, as China became the first team since 1988 to enjoy two medalists in this event.

Yi, renowned for her ability to stay unruffled, cried with relief in her coach's arms after the final, and welcomed the mob of Chinese media, saying their enthusiasm made her feel like a movie star.

South Korean marksman Jin Jong-oh overcame a suddenly nervy ending to win the 10-meter air pistol gold medal yesterday and improve on his silver in Beijing.

Jin, who took a two-point lead into the final, appeared set to cruise home as he increased his lead to four halfway through the 10-shot final.

But four straight 9-rings cut his lead to less than two.

Then he pulled off the best score of the final, a near-perfect 10.8, to leave no doubt. He raised his arms in silent celebration as others were yet to finish.

Jin totaled 688.2 for his second Olympic gold. He will defend the 50m title next Sunday at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

Italian policeman Luca Tesconi rose from fifth for the silver medal in his first games, and Andrija Zlatic of Serbia was steady for the bronze, scoring 685.2, just six-tenths of a point from matching Tesconi.