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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUSA wins first gold medal of Rio games in shooting
The 19-year-old U.S. college champion edged out China's Du Li, gold in Athens in 2004, with an Olympic-record score of 208 in the sport's new finals format. Defending Olympic champion Yi Siling, also of China, took the bronze medal.
Competing in her first Olympics, Thrasher, as the first champion of the 2016 Games, was awarded her medal by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach and said the achievement was beyond her wildest dreams.
The youngest of the eight finalists by several years, Thrasher established an early lead after battling with the Russian shooter Daria Vdovina, who stumbled midway through the competition and finished fifth.
"About halfway through when I took the lead it kind of became clear to me that I was in contention for a medal, but I quickly pushed that thought away and focused on breathing and taking one shot at a time," Thrasher said.
Thrasher learned to love shooting while hunting deer with her grandfather when she was in eighth grade.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/shooting-american-thrasher-wins-first-gold-games-140536631--oly.html
Joanie Baloney
(1,357 posts)Lint Head
(15,064 posts)yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)I'm glad we won the first medal. It looks like we are kicking butt in men's swimming so far. This is a time to be proud to be American. What an incredible lucky 17 days for our country and our participants.
Motley13
(3,867 posts)no_hypocrisy
(46,130 posts)where the Princess really lets loose with her automatic weapon for the first time.
Barf remarks in incredulity "Not bad (shooting) for a girl" to which Dot Matrix (Joan Rivers) retorts, "Hey, that wasn't bad for Rambo!"
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)Her behind off to practice and perfect her craft at a sport with a long history of Olympic competition, which requires skill and patience, and all people can do is heap on eye-rolling snark.
Typical.
boomer55
(592 posts)MineralMan
(146,317 posts)It's a very tough competition, actually. I have a 10 Meter air rifle target in my basement, which is just long enough to have a 10 Meter range in it. I don't compete, of course, but it's a fun thing to do indoors. We've had casual competitions among our guests when we've had parties in our house. Everyone has fun with it, from elders to kids.
I'm very proud of this young American woman for getting the gold in this highly competitive event.
32.8 feet, actually.
NutmegYankee
(16,200 posts)sarisataka
(18,663 posts)Gunz.
She is only practicing to be a racist mass murder when she gets home. It is quite amazing how she restrained herself from plugging the Chinese participants, them being commie foreigners and all
msongs
(67,420 posts)Americas top Olympic shooter, Kim Rhode, took a strong stand against gun control laws, offering full support for carrying concealed weapons and attacking gun legislation in her home state of California
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/05/rio2016-top-american-olympic-shooter-kim-rhode-attacks-gun-control-laws
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)oneshooter
(8,614 posts)first amendment rights.
ileus
(15,396 posts)Something a lot of young people don't understand...
Buckeye_Democrat
(14,855 posts)petronius
(26,602 posts)there on the left...
Congrats and to Thrasher (and the runners-up!)