Hoang Xuan Vinh, a 41-year-old serving army colonel, has made history in Rio with a near perfect shot to clinch gold at the men's 10-metre air pistol event with a near-perfect final shot.

Shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh

The win secured Vietnam its first Olympic gold medal in any sport. The star for Vietnam at the Olympics followed this monumental accomplishment with a silver medal in the Olympic men's 50-meter pistol event.

Now there are those who say that Vinh is in the running for what would be an astonishing feat— a top place finish on the ‘World’s Best Athlete’ listing for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"So proud! But the greatest happiness was that we won over China," Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, a Vietnamese music show host based in the US but popular in the homeland, wrote on Facebook.

"This victory came from the courageous spirit and the utmost determination of the athlete, his coaches and from key investment ahead of the 2016 Olympics," said Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports Nguyen Ngoc Thien.

Vinh reportedly learned how to shoot in the country's military, which he joined in 1991, initially practicing on AK47 rifles.

It has been widely reported that Vinh will receive US$131,000 from the government on his return.

Vietnam athletes had previously won two silver medals in past Olympic games.

VOV