Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


                  US Markswoman Has Medal Record in Her Sights

   by Mike O'Sullivan

   Five-time Olympic medalist [1]Kim Rhode is taking aim at a sixth medal
   in skeet and double trap, shooting events in which competitors shoot
   clay targets launched through air by a mechanical thrower.

   Rhode already holds the record for consecutive individual sport Olympic
   medals won by an American, with five. The record for most shooting
   medals overall is held by China's Yifu Wang, who holds six medals for
   men's pistol events.

   On a recent morning, she was practicing at an open-air shooting range
   near Los Angeles, where the air was punctuated by the cracking sound of
   shotguns.

   Trap and skeet require fast reactions and a keen eye, and Rhode rarely
   misses. At the 2012 London Games, she set an Olympic record and tied
   the world record in skeet with a score of 99.

   The 36-year-old Rhode first competed in the Olympics at age 16 in 1996
   in Atlanta, and has brought home Olympic medals from every Summer Games
   since then, including three golds. In her first three Olympics, she
   competed in two events: skeet shooting and double trap. Following the
   2004 Athens Games, women's double trap was eliminated from Olympic
   competition.

   [2]Shooting has been an Olympic sport at most Summer Games since the
   modern Olympics were revived in 1896, and Rhode loves to be among the
   world's top competitors.

   "No matter what the event, we all have that common thread or that
   common story of overcoming or never giving up that really speaks, I
   think, to the creed of the Olympics," she said.

   Among her inspirations: the outdoorsman and adventurer, early 20th
   century U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, and sharpshooter Annie
   Oakley, who shamed male frontiersmen with her handling of a shotgun.

   "Shooting was something that was kind of like the wild, wild West,"
   said Rhode, "something that is kind of in the fiber of our country. So
   Annie Oakley is definitely one [model]." She says Oakley "went out
   there and gave the boys a run for their money."

   Shooting is a family activity for Rhode. She practices with her father,
   Richard, who launches the targets for her.

   Her grandfather was a rancher and hunter in Montana who brought his
   outdoor heritage to California.

   "He taught my dad, and my mom and dad taught me," said Rhode. "So it's
   something that has been generationally been passed down through my
   family."

   She has her eye on the target as she gets ready for the Rio Games.
   "It's really been an incredible journey," she said, "one that I feel
   very blessed and honored to have had."

   The journey is far from finished. She is competing this week in Olympic
   qualifying events and the final team selection will be made by Friday.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [3]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-markswoman-medal-record-her-sights
   /3332759.html

References

   1. http://www.facebook.com/KimberlyRhode
   2. http://www.usashooting.org/12-the-team/usashootingteam/nationalteam/nationalshotgunteam/kimrhode
   3. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-markswoman-medal-record-her-sights/3332759.html