Sharpshooter Nguyen Thi Phuong of the Army team took gold in the women's individual 50m prone rifle event after scoring 589 points on the first day of the National Shooting Championship yesterday.

Phuong drew level with Trinh Thu Ha from Thanh Hoa after 60 shots, but managed to edge her rival out in a subsequent shoot-off.

Teammate Bui Thu Ha scored 587 points to palm a bronze medal.

Markswomen from the Army team additionally took gold in the team event after scoring 1,176 points.

Thanh Hoa were ranked second with an accumulated 1,735 points, while Ha Noi came third, scoring 1,731.

Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Hoang Xuan Vinh, also from the Army, took gold in the men's 10m air pistol event after scoring 679.4 points.

He beat Tran Quoc Cuong from Hai Duong, who scored 670,9 points, and his teammate Nguyen Hoang Phuong, in third with 668.7 points.

The 36-year-old, together with his teammates, scored a total of 1,724 points in the team competition to add one more gold.

Team Hai Duong bagged silver, while the Ministry of Public Security team finished third.

The annual National Shooting Championship, which has drawn over 160 sharpshooters, will close next Friday.

VNS