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On target Johnson wins first American gold in shootingLatest: Friday September 29, 2000 12:28 PM
SYDNEY, Australia (CNNSI.com) -- The first gold medal of the 2000 Olympic Games was awarded to an American shooter. Nancy Johnson won the women's 10-meter air rifle title Saturday morning. "Unbelievable. I knew I had a medal but I didn't know it was going to be gold," said Johnson, of Downers Grove, Ill. Johnson, 26, finished with a score of 497.7 to edge Kang Cho-Hyun of Korea, who had 497.5 points, in the eight-woman final round. China's Gao Jing scored 497.2 to finish third Saturday morning (Friday night EDT). Johnson entered the final round in a four-way tie for second with 395 points and got some advice before shooting again. "I got off the line," she said. "I talked to my husband and coach, they told me what I was doing wrong. I was swaying." Johnson won a silver medal at last year's Pan American Games. Johnson, the 1999 national champion, also competed in air rifle at the 1996 Games. In World Cup competition earlier this year, she finished sixth at Atlanta and fourth in Milan, Italy. Her husband, Ken Johnson, is scheduled to compete in the men's air rifle. Fellow American Jayme Dickman finished sixth with 495.4 points. Dickman, an alternate on the 1996 Olympic team, was thought to be a contender for a medal. World champion Sonja Pfeilschifter of Germany finished fifth with 495.9. "She went out with a very grim look on her face," Johnson said of Pfeilschifter. "And I went out with a smile, determined to do my best." The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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