Finland's Marika Salmi secured her first ISSF World Cup gold medal ©ISSF

Finland's Marika Salmi secured her first International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup gold medal as she won a shoot-off with Spaniard Fatima Galvez in the women's trap event in Tucson in Arizona.

Salmi, competing in just her third top six final match in her career, and Galvez could not be separated as both finished with 41 hits after the regulation phase at the Tucson Trap and Skeet Club.

The 30-year-old Finnish shooter defied her lack of experience at this level as he held her nerve to edge the 2015 world champion, recording two hits to Galvez's one in the shoot-off.

It saw her end clinch top spot on the podium, ending her long wait for victory on the ISSF World Cup circuit.

Melanie Couzy of France also claimed her first World Cup medal as he took bronze on 31 hits.

Finland's Marika Salmi emerged victorious from the shoot-off to take gold for the first time in her career ©ISSF
Finland's Marika Salmi emerged victorious from the shoot-off to take gold for the first time in her career ©ISSF

Couzy had ousted Finnish finalist Noora Antikainen and San Marino’s Alessandra Perilli to finish third but was unable to keep pace with Salmi and Galvez.

Japan's Yuke Nakayama, a four-time Olympian, was the first of the six shooters to be eliminated from the final.

In the men's trap event, which concludes with the gold medal match tomorrow, Italy's Erminio Frasca top-scored with 50.

Poland's Piotr Kowalczyk was second on 49 and Peru's Alessandro Ferreira was third on 48.