CHATEAUROUX, FRANCE, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese sharpshooter Xie Yu clinched gold in the men's 10m air pistol event here at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Olympic debutant, who was ranked sixth after the qualification round, surged from behind in the final to finish with 240.9 points, 0.9 points ahead of Italy's Federico Nilo Maldini.

Maldini's compatriot Paolo Monna grabbed the bronze with 218.6 points.

"The process was hard, but the result was rewarding," said a happy Xie in the mixed zone.

"I think the key today is I had a clear understanding of myself and managed to make immediate adjustments when I felt nervous," he said after claiming China's first Olympic men's air pistol gold since 2008.

Xie had a stable start in the final, ranking third before the elimination stage, where he rose to the top after 10 shots as the two leading Italian shooters both made two sub-10 shots in the fifth series. Holding in hand a 0.4-point advantage before the final shot, he held his nerves to score a 10 while Maldini made only 9.5.

Noting that he lacked experience in international competitions, Xie said "I didn't think too much about winning." "I was giving myself very simple mental cues, 'just knock one out'," he added.

This is the second gold won by China in shooting events and third overall at the Paris Olympics, after Chinese teenage duo Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao won the Games' first gold medal with victory in the 10m air rifle mixed team event on Saturday.