Tweet
The US has dominated again. 
Congrats to Army Sergeant Vincent Hancock and Kimberly Rhode!
Rhode shoots a Perazzi MX12 and Hancock shoots a Beretta DT10.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olymp...ing/56607024/1
http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012...9s-skeet-gold/
Congrats to Army Sergeant Vincent Hancock and Kimberly Rhode!
Rhode shoots a Perazzi MX12 and Hancock shoots a Beretta DT10.
LONDON – Ignoring a touch of rain and a ton of pressure, the USA's Vincent Hancock hit 'em with his best shots. His record accuracy Tuesday with a double-barreled shotgun gave him his second gold medal in as many Olympics in skeet shooting.
Greenwich, United Kingdom; Vincent Hancock (USA) competes in day two of the skeet men qualification during the 2012 London Olympic Games at Royal Artillery Barracks.
After hitting an Olympic skeet record 148 of 150 targets over two days — including 25-25 in the final — the 23-year-old stood atop the podium for the playing of the U.S. national anthem.
He held his hand over his heart and stood ramrod straight like the Army sergeant he is.
"Having the opportunity to come out here and represent my country, that's what it's really all about," said Hancock, who won by two targets over silver medalist Anders Golding (146 score). "God has given me the greatest opportunity in the world to represent my country on a stage this grand and especially to have this medal hanging around my neck again."
His score of 148 broke the Olympic skeet record of 145 he set en route to his first Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008.
The USA's Kim Rhode won the women's skeet earlier this week; she missed one shot, 99-for-100 on her way to a gold medal.
Hancock is the first skeet shooter, man or woman, to win two Olympic golds. How many more Olympics — and golds — might he have in him?
"I already want more. And I have this one, which is a great feeling," said Hancock. "Another four years and another one of these, that will do me pretty well. I'm 23 right now, and the average age of think is in the 30s. … I know I'm going to get through 2020, and then I'll just reassess."
Todd Graves, U.S. shotgun coach and a four-time skeet Olympian who won bronze in 2000, echoed that.
"He's got two or three left in him," Graves said. "I'm 49. My last one was 2004, so he's got a while to go."
Hancock did his shooting in khaki shorts and sneakers (plus ear plugs, orange-tinted safety glasses and a vest with big pockets full of shotgun rounds.
He said he didn't let the intermittent rain affect him: "I like shooting in the rain, because everyone else is thinking about it."
After taking 125 shots in two days of qualification for the six-man final, he had a one target lead. But he shrugged off the potential pressure. On the final 25 shots in the final, Golding missed one. Hancock missed none.
"What I've been taught from my dad (Craig) coaching and from our sports psychologists … is to know that you're the best. … I knew that I was going to win this before I even stepped out on the field," Hancock said.
He did hit doldrums during the last Olympic cycle.
He placed fifth in the world championships in 2010 and plummeted to 67th last year. But he said he prayed with his wife, Rebekah, and got his head and his shooting straight.
"It took a little while, but then we figured it out that this is truly my passion, and I love this game more than anything else other than my family."
He plans to leave the Army in November and open a shooting academy in Georgia with his father. "I want to go back and build my legacy," he said. "It's not just the number of medals it's what else can I do. How big can I grow the sport? And how many people can I influence?"
Greenwich, United Kingdom; Vincent Hancock (USA) competes in day two of the skeet men qualification during the 2012 London Olympic Games at Royal Artillery Barracks.
After hitting an Olympic skeet record 148 of 150 targets over two days — including 25-25 in the final — the 23-year-old stood atop the podium for the playing of the U.S. national anthem.
He held his hand over his heart and stood ramrod straight like the Army sergeant he is.
"Having the opportunity to come out here and represent my country, that's what it's really all about," said Hancock, who won by two targets over silver medalist Anders Golding (146 score). "God has given me the greatest opportunity in the world to represent my country on a stage this grand and especially to have this medal hanging around my neck again."
His score of 148 broke the Olympic skeet record of 145 he set en route to his first Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008.
The USA's Kim Rhode won the women's skeet earlier this week; she missed one shot, 99-for-100 on her way to a gold medal.
Hancock is the first skeet shooter, man or woman, to win two Olympic golds. How many more Olympics — and golds — might he have in him?
"I already want more. And I have this one, which is a great feeling," said Hancock. "Another four years and another one of these, that will do me pretty well. I'm 23 right now, and the average age of think is in the 30s. … I know I'm going to get through 2020, and then I'll just reassess."
Todd Graves, U.S. shotgun coach and a four-time skeet Olympian who won bronze in 2000, echoed that.
"He's got two or three left in him," Graves said. "I'm 49. My last one was 2004, so he's got a while to go."
Hancock did his shooting in khaki shorts and sneakers (plus ear plugs, orange-tinted safety glasses and a vest with big pockets full of shotgun rounds.
He said he didn't let the intermittent rain affect him: "I like shooting in the rain, because everyone else is thinking about it."
After taking 125 shots in two days of qualification for the six-man final, he had a one target lead. But he shrugged off the potential pressure. On the final 25 shots in the final, Golding missed one. Hancock missed none.
"What I've been taught from my dad (Craig) coaching and from our sports psychologists … is to know that you're the best. … I knew that I was going to win this before I even stepped out on the field," Hancock said.
He did hit doldrums during the last Olympic cycle.
He placed fifth in the world championships in 2010 and plummeted to 67th last year. But he said he prayed with his wife, Rebekah, and got his head and his shooting straight.
"It took a little while, but then we figured it out that this is truly my passion, and I love this game more than anything else other than my family."
He plans to leave the Army in November and open a shooting academy in Georgia with his father. "I want to go back and build my legacy," he said. "It's not just the number of medals it's what else can I do. How big can I grow the sport? And how many people can I influence?"
Kimberly Rhode: 1st American to medal in 5 straight Olympics, sets records in winning women’s skeet gold.
LONDON — Kimberly Rhode’s years-long journey to the Olympic skeet shooting final at the Royal Artillery Barracks included a stolen championship shot gun, her husband’s missing passport and a “hell on wheels” toy poodle that devoured her plane ticket to London.
The journey was worth it: Rhode, 33, became the first American athlete to win an individual medal in five straight Olympics, winning gold and setting an Olympic record for the highest score in the Olympic Finals with a 99-out-of-100. The previous mark was 93.
Rhode’s performance was so dominant, she had the gold clinched well before the final round of shooting, which led to some emotions during the event.
“I told myself, ‘Don’t cry. You won’t be able to see the birds. It’ll be blurry,’” she said.
Rhode also set an Olympic record in the preliminary round, hitting 74 of 75 targets.
She won gold in double trap shooting in 1996 and 2004, and bronze in the event in 2000. That sport was dropped for the 2008 Beijing Games, so Rhode moved over to skeet shooting. She captured silver in 2008.
Rhode won this event using a different competition shotgun than she had used in previous Olympics. That weapon was stolen in September 2008 and was eventually returned to her the following January. But Rhode had already grown comfortable on the new gun, and used it in London.
Getting to London to use it was a different challenge. As Rhode explained before the event:
“I’ve had a little bit of a problem with the airlines getting here,” said Rhode.
“I stayed home, trained there and then came directly from L.A. to London so essentially I didn’t get all the time adjustment. I’m a little jet-lagged, but other than that, things are good.”
Adding to the stress, Rhode’s husband initially could not find his passport and her 4-month-old white puppy devoured her re-issued ticket.
“My husband lost his passport and couldn’t find it. My dog ate my ticket. … I know that sounds crazy but I can honestly say and I have the pictures to prove that really happened. It’s not just an excuse.”
Her lone miss came at station five, low single house during preliminaries, which were held during a rain storm in London.
“I remember my dad telling me that ‘Someday, you’ll have to shoot well in the rain.’ And he was right,” she said.
Rhode indicated that she plans on continuing her streak at the 2016 Rio Games — and beyond.
“The oldest shooter to win a medal in the Olympics was 72,” she said. “I still have a few more in me.”
LONDON — Kimberly Rhode’s years-long journey to the Olympic skeet shooting final at the Royal Artillery Barracks included a stolen championship shot gun, her husband’s missing passport and a “hell on wheels” toy poodle that devoured her plane ticket to London.
The journey was worth it: Rhode, 33, became the first American athlete to win an individual medal in five straight Olympics, winning gold and setting an Olympic record for the highest score in the Olympic Finals with a 99-out-of-100. The previous mark was 93.
Rhode’s performance was so dominant, she had the gold clinched well before the final round of shooting, which led to some emotions during the event.
“I told myself, ‘Don’t cry. You won’t be able to see the birds. It’ll be blurry,’” she said.
Rhode also set an Olympic record in the preliminary round, hitting 74 of 75 targets.
She won gold in double trap shooting in 1996 and 2004, and bronze in the event in 2000. That sport was dropped for the 2008 Beijing Games, so Rhode moved over to skeet shooting. She captured silver in 2008.
Rhode won this event using a different competition shotgun than she had used in previous Olympics. That weapon was stolen in September 2008 and was eventually returned to her the following January. But Rhode had already grown comfortable on the new gun, and used it in London.
Getting to London to use it was a different challenge. As Rhode explained before the event:
“I’ve had a little bit of a problem with the airlines getting here,” said Rhode.
“I stayed home, trained there and then came directly from L.A. to London so essentially I didn’t get all the time adjustment. I’m a little jet-lagged, but other than that, things are good.”
Adding to the stress, Rhode’s husband initially could not find his passport and her 4-month-old white puppy devoured her re-issued ticket.
“My husband lost his passport and couldn’t find it. My dog ate my ticket. … I know that sounds crazy but I can honestly say and I have the pictures to prove that really happened. It’s not just an excuse.”
Her lone miss came at station five, low single house during preliminaries, which were held during a rain storm in London.
“I remember my dad telling me that ‘Someday, you’ll have to shoot well in the rain.’ And he was right,” she said.
Rhode indicated that she plans on continuing her streak at the 2016 Rio Games — and beyond.
“The oldest shooter to win a medal in the Olympics was 72,” she said. “I still have a few more in me.”
im still trying to reaquire the skills ive lost 
Comment