China secures nine Olympic shooting places

China secured nine of the 64 Olympic shooting berths on offer during the World Championships that concluded in Granada, Spain.

Germany, South Korea, Italy and Russia each claimed five spots while France and Slovakia clinched three apiece during the competition, which ended Friday, reports Xinhua.

China's Yang Haoran earned the first Rio 2016 shooting place by winning the men's 10m air rifle event, eclipsing Russia's Nazar Louginets by 1.9 points.

"I'm honoured that I claimed the first Olympic quota for my country," Haoran told the official Rio 2016 Olympic website.

"The world championships is a huge competition. The best shooters of the world are here. I felt the pressure at the beginning of the final, but then I zeroed in and was able to climb up on top," he said.

South Korea's three-time Olympic champion Jin Jong-Oh won gold medals in the men's 10m air pistol and 50m pistol. He also set a new world record in the 50m pistol with 583 points, breaking the mark of 581 points set by Alexander Melentiev in 1980.