She eventually slipped off the pace to finish fifth.
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Saturday morning, the 19-year-old NCAA national champion at West Virginia stepped into the first medal event of the Olympics, the women’s 10-meter air rifle final, and won.
She comes along in a time of need, when America is going through hard times, unusual times, insane times, caught up in a world torn apart and with a presidential contest that is filled with more slime no matter which side you are on than you’ve ever seen in a free world race for its leader.
Hoang meanwhile snatched the gold from Brazilian home team athlete Felipe Almeida Wu on the final shot of the men’s 10m air pistol, taking the gold by four tenth of a point with 202.5 points to Wu’s 202.1.
Just one event was all it took for the games to turn into a USA-versus-China shoot-out, but the result was a major upset, with a novice American beating two experienced Chinese favourites.
He said Title IX led to the full funding of college sports across the board, which has led to the US catching up in a few sports, like volleyball, and dominating in others.
FIRST CONTROVERSY – Carmelo Anthony says his U.S. men’s basketball teammates need to accept responsibility and move on after reports that three players visited a legal brothel in Rio de Janeiro.
Yi Siling of China took bronze as the first medals in Rio were awarded. He was timed in 57.55 seconds, lowering his old mark of 57.92. She was ninth at 57.54.
Known as the Ferns, New Zealand made it to the quarterfinals at the London Games. Japan, China and the United States all tied with 5 medals a piece. She scored the USWNT’s only goal in a 1-0 victory over France.
As Thrasher stood in the finals hall of the Olympic Shooting Centre yesterday, a raucous crowd behind her and bossa nova playing in the speakers, few would have bet on the American – ranked No. 23 in the world and the only Olympic debutante among the eight finalists – to prevail.
Thrasher grinned on the podium, hand over her heart, as the American flag was raised and the Star Spangled Banner played in the background.
She learned to shoot from her father, who had served in the Air Force. Mireia Belmonte Garcia of Spain claimed the bronze in 4:32.39. She began hitting the range the same month as the London Olympics.
Now, she has the best one of all.
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At 16, hurdler Sydney McLaughlin will be the youngest to compete for the U.S. Olympic track team since 1972.
