Her winning total of 29 shots in the women's 25 metres sport pistol at the Club Cinegetico Jalisciense - the highest ever recorded at these Championships - also earned the United States an Olympic quota in the event for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Lagan's compatriot Sandra Uptagrafft took bronze with 23 shots, behind Laina Perez of Cuba, who took silver with a total of 27.

This achievement crowned another profitable day for the US, which picked up another individual gold through Sarah Beard in the women's 50m prone rifle event and team gold in the men's 50m prone rifle.

Brazil also had a golden day, taking the top two places in the men's 50m prone rifle event and achieving a clean sweep in the men's 25m standard pistol.

Lagan, from Boulder City, Nevada, entered the final with the third-highest qualification score of 580, which included a world-class score of 295 in the rapid series, and moved ahead after the halfway mark.

Earlier in the week Lagan had just missed an Olympic quota in the women's air pistol by winning silver.

She also won gold in the air pistol mixed team event with Nick Mowrer.

"I'm so excited about today," she said.

"It was a very interesting final with Sandra and I up there and getting the reverse.

"It was so neat to get two US people on the podium and to get that quota for the USA.

"I know this quota is just one step closer to earning a ticket to Tokyo."

This quota was the fifth for the USA Shooting team at this event, and the ninth thus far including those gained at the World Championships in Changwon, South Korea in September.

Earning an Olympic quota in competition ensures the country a spot in that particular event, but not necessarily for that athlete.

Athletes will earn Olympic team slots via a trials system established by USA Shooting.

Prone rifle is not an Olympic event and no finals were held or quotas awarded.

Beard finished her 60 shots of qualification with a score of 617.7 to win the gold, with team-mate Hannah Black taking bronze with 612.8.

Silver went to Polyma Velasquez Alvarado of Guatemala, who scored 616.1.

Brazil took gold and silver in the men's 50m prone rifle event thanks to Leonardo Moreira, who scored 624.3, and Cassio Cesar Rippel, who totalled 620.0.

Bronze went to the Rio 2016 US Olympian Lucas Kozeniesky with 618.9.

Kozeniesky, air rifle gold medallist Dempster Christenson who finished in sixth place with 615.2, and George Norton, eighth with 614.5, won team gold.

Brazil also excelled in the men's 25m standard pistol, another non-Olympic event that consisted only of a qualifying round, earning a clean sweep of medals.

Julio Almeida took gold with 572 points in front of team-mate Jose Carlos Batista, who scored 567, with bronze gong to Emerson Duarte, whose total was 558.

Competition continues tomorrow with the start of pre-event training for men's and women's skeet.

The Championship of the Americas is also the only opportunity for athletes to earn quotas for the Pan American Games next summer in Lima, Peru.

Two Olympic quotas will be available in each individual event at the Pan American Games, which will be the last chance for athletes to earn quotas prior to the 2020 Olympics.