South Korean coach behind Vietnam's 1st Olympic gold

Hoang Xuan Vinh captured the men's 10m air pistol title at the Olympic Shooting Centre at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games on Saturday, ending the country's six-decade drought.

The 41-year-old military officer has been coached by South Korea's Park Chung-gun since the end of the 2014 Asian Games.

Park told Yonhap News Agency that he often took his Vietnamese shooters to his native country to train in more advanced settings, since Vietnam lacked the electronic targets used in international competitions.

"They enjoyed training in South Korea because they felt like it would give them a better chance to win medals," Park said. "And they also enjoy Korean food and culture."

Park divulged little else about himself, saying, "I am happy that Hoang won the gold, but I shouldn't be the one taking the spotlight."

Hoang edged Felipe Almeida Wu of Brazil in the taut final, setting an Olympic record with 202.5 points.

Jin Jong-oh, the defending Olympic champion from South Korea, finished a disappointing fifth in that event. 

Coach Park said while he has no particular history with Jin, he still felt sorry that the South Korean veteran couldn't reach the podium. (Yonhap)