Ukraine's Vasyl Kovalchuk won gold today in the R4 10 metre air rifle standing mixed SH2 final, beating 2004 Paralympic champion Michael Johnson ©Getty Images

London 2012 Paralympic champion Vasyl Kovalchuk from Ukraine won gold at the 2018 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in Chateauroux in France.

The 45-year-old won the R4 10 metre air rifle standing mixed SH2 final, finishing with a score of 253.2 points.

It was enough to beat his nearest rival, Michael Johnson from New Zealand, by exactly one point.

The Kiwi, who won Paralympic gold in the same event at Athens 2004, was initially ahead after three rounds of the second stage, but he could not hold onto that lead, eventually fading away as Kovalchuk upped his performance.

The bronze medal was won by Italy's Andrea Liverani, who this year is currently ranked 14th in the world in the class.

He secured his medal with a score of 230.1.

In today's only other final, the R6 50m rifle prone mixed SH1, Spain's Juan Antonio Saavedra Reinaldo took the gold with a score of 248.1

The 44-year-old from Pontevedra in Galicia led from start to finish, beating John Joss III from the United States to the gold by 2.6 points.

Great Britain secured the bronze thanks to Matt Skelhon, who finished significantly behind the top two on 226.2 points.

Tomorrow will see shooting go ahead in eight different events including the men's P1 10m air pistol SH1, the women's P2 10m air pistol SH1 and the women's R8 50m rifle three positions SH1.