The 29-year-old overcame 14-time World Cup medalist Georgios Achilleos of Cyprus to stun the home crowd at the Larnaca Olympic Shooting Range.

Gil claimed the best win of his career in dramatic fashion, edging the Cypriot shooter by one hit with a score of 56.

Achilleos failed to deliver glory for the host nation as he missed his last shot to finish on 55 hits.

Alexander Zemlin of Russia, world champion in 2014, did enough for the bronze medal on a total of 44 hits.

"It has been a tough match, but I love it," said Gil. 

"I love this new elimination-style final. 

"You have the time to recover if you make a mistake. 

"It has been a great match. 

"I couldn't be happier.

"This is a special day for me, I have been shooting since I was eight and this is my first World Cup medal. 

"It comes on a special day: my mother's birthday. 

"She's here, with my father, who got me into the sport and coaches me. 

"This medal is for them."

Britain's Ben Llewellin, Finland's Oskari Kossi, and Saif Bin Futtais of the United Arab Emirates finished in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

Gil proved to be the star performer as he missed just four clays throughout the whole final.

He qualified for the medal match with 122 hits out of 125 targets but needed a shoot-off to guarantee his place in the final.

The Argentinian is now targeting further glory at this year's Shotgun World Championships, which run from August 30 to September 11 in Moscow.

"I have been improving in the last years," he added.

"Thanks to my country, my federation and my sponsors, that supported me a lot, and thanks to my father and his coaching.

"The next big goal is the ISSF World Championship, in September. 

"That's in my sights."

After a rest day tomorrow, the event in Larnaca resumes with the double trap men's event on Wednesday (May 3).