University of Kentucky standout William Shaner wins gold medal in air rifle competition at Tokyo Olympics

Published 10:41 am Sunday, July 25, 2021

William Shaner won gold men’s 10-meter air rifle Sunday.

The 20-year-old Shaner qualified third and was steady in the finals at his first Olympics, finishing with an Olympic-record 251.6 points. Sheng Lihao, a Chinese 16-year-old with little international experience, took silver and countryman Yang Haoran earned bronze.

Shaner was one of the top youth shooters in the country and has already had a decorated career at the University of Kentucky, finishing second at the NCAA individual championships and team gold in consecutive seasons. He also was a first-team All-American as a freshman.