DORCHESTER shooting star Peter Wilson claimed Team Dorset's first gold medal of the London 2012 Games this afternoon.
The 25-year-old farmer's son led from start to finish at the Royal Artillery Barracks, winning Team GB's fourth gold medal of the Games in the men's double trap event.
Wilson, the world record holder and world number two in the event, was three points ahead going into this afternoon's final after three qualifying rounds in the morning.
And in a tense final shoot-out Wilson missed five shots, including a double as he closed in on gold.
But his opponents could not take advantage and the Briton eventually finished two clear of Sweden's Hakan Dahlby with a total score of 188 out of 200 shots fired.
Wilson only took up competitive trap shooting in 2006 after a shoulder injury suffered while snowboarding prevented him from playing squash and cricket.
He smashed the world record in Arizona in March, scoring an incredible 198, and is now Britain's first shooting medallist since Richard Faulds won gold in the same event in Sydney 12 years ago.
Wilson needed one hit from the final two targets but nailed both before falling to his knees in tears.
A capacity crowd gave the new Olympic champion a standing ovation before he climbed into the first row of seats to greet his mother and tearful girlfriend Michelle.
As he was surrounded by photographers he simply said: ''It's awesome, fantastic.''
Dahlby took silver while, behind the celebrations, Russian Vasily Mosin won bronze after a shoot-off with Kuwaiti Fehaid Aldeehani.
Wilson struggled to put the feeling of being an Olympic champion into words.
''It's really weird to say that,'' he told BBC1. ''I'm an Olympic gold medallist.''
He added: ''It meant a huge amount. It's really, really difficult. I've watched us win a couple of gold medals and another number of medals and you watch these guys talking after and they say 'it's just impossible to talk about it' and it really is.
''It was an emotional rollercoaster for me from start to finish.
''There are a lot of people I have to thank. I won't say it all now because it would go on forever but obviously the British Shooting management and the National Lottery - without them I wouldn't be here.
''Most importantly without a shadow of a doubt Ahmed Al Maktoum, my coach. There is no doubt I would not be here today if it wasn't for him. A massive thank you to him.
''Last mum and dad, and my girlfriend. Huge thanks to them.
''What a feeling, what a rush.''
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