First gold medal of London 2012 won by China shooter

28/07/12

China, so vibrantly ubiquitous as hosts and chief medal hoarders four years ago, picked up where they left off as Yi Siling won the first gold medal of the 2012 Olympic Games. Yi took the women's 10m air rifle gold in a thrilling final inside Woolwich's main dimpled shooting arena, a last shot score of 10.5 sealing victory ahead of the 30-year-old Pole Sylwia Bogacka and China's Yu Dan.

At the moment of victory Yi held her rifle above her head in both hands and took the cheers of a 2,000 strong crowd after a thrilling three-hour performance of sustained and unflinching precision, infused with some genuine competitive zeal as she overhauled Bogacka in the final three shots.

And so China's parpingly jaunty anthem was the first to be heard in triumph at London 2012. Jacques Rogge appeared from the wings in his traditional International Olympic Committee role of dispensing the first medal of an Olympics, to a stirring burst of Chariots of Fire and flanked by a trio of pageboys carrying the medals on dinky floral platters. There were huge Chinese-inflected cheers as Dan received her bronze, warm applause for the popular Bogacka, and then a great thrumming roar for the gold medallist, who waved both arms above her head in unconstrained, puppyish delight.

It had been a gripping final. After the mob-handed coconut shy of the qualifying round, this was a pared-down eight-woman field engaged in unforgiving rapid-fire competition. Bogacka had finished top in qualifying and she opened up a small lead at the start of the final and even looked favourite for gold with three shots to go. At which point – perhaps even spooked by the overly booming and intrusive PA announcer declaring that "The pressure's. On. Now" just as the competitors were about to take aim – she fluffed the vital shot.

Yi's own 10.7 drew gasps but a second later Bogacka followed with a calamitous 9.7, handing the Chinese a decisive 0.7 lead. What a shot it was from the gold medallist at exactly the right moment, although Bogacka did rally on the final shot to take the silver away from Dan.

And as Wenlock bodypopped energetically to the in-house music, it was Yi – also the first woman to qualify for these Games – who prepared to receive London's opening gold. The departing Rogge was mobbed outside the venue by the roving platoons of Chinese media but seemed very happy with what he had seen of London's opening moments.

"It was very well prepared," the IOC president said. "There was a lot of suspense at the end. The crowd was very well prepared and very knowledgeable. It's a very good start and a very encouraging start forChina for what I think will be a very strong show."