Summary Catherine Skinner beat Kiwi Natalie Rooney to win the women's trap Olympic title on Sunday.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Australia s Catherine Skinner beat Kiwi Natalie Rooney to win the women s trap Olympic title on Sunday to finally come good in a final "after some shockers".
In the gold medal match at the Deodoro range, the chemical engineer graduate missed three of the 15 targets to Rooney s four to prevail 12-11.
"When I missed my first target I thought oh no it s going to happen again," said the 26-year-old from Mansfield, clutching her preciously earned gold medal as if to make sure it wouldn t suddenly disappear.
"I ve had plenty of finals where I ve had some shockers, where I ve missed the first target and it s gone down hill from there.
"Missing that one today made me focused, made me angry, and it paid off."
For Rooney this was massive redemption after a personally devastating experience at London 2012.
Having been selected for the New Zealand squad she was then unceremoniously removed after one of her countrymen, rifleman Ryan Taylor, successfully challenged her place.
"Missing London was devastating," she told AFP.
"It was hard to get over that disappointment, so this now feels fantastic, although unfortunately my mother s not here to see it, she passed away three years ago."
American Corey Cogdell ended up with bronze to replicate her third place in Beijing in 2008.
She was spurred on by support from her husband, Mitch Unrein, a Chicago Bears fullback.
"It s been truly touching to see the Bears come together to support me" she said.
"My husband and I are very competitive, we keep pushing each other to new levels, whether it s a board game or washing up!"
Skinner s expert shooting swelled to three Australia s gold medal tally after Saturday s brace in the pool.
The 26-year-old booked an automatic ticket to the final from the six-shooter semi-finals.
Rooney, earning New Zealand s 100th Olympic medal of all time, joined her there after a sudden death shoot off with Cogdell, who got the better of Spain s world champion Fatima Galvez in the bronze medal match.
In a carnival atmosphere with spaghetti western music piping out from the loudspeakers, Skinner s double barrel shotgun proved the most adept at hitting the fluorescent orange targets which when hit exploded leaving a plume of purple smoke hanging in the air.
Figuring amongst the finalists was defending Olympic champion Jessica Rossi.
But the Italian police officer was unable to repeat her arresting London 2012 performance, finishing sixth.
Earlier, qualifying had proved an inhospitable place for Ray Bassil.
The world number one turned up with great hopes of supplying Lebanon with its first gold medal in Olympic history, but the 27-year-old failed to make the final cut.
She was in good company, with Finland s Satu Makelanummela, champion in Beijing in 2008, also given the afternoon off.
