“It definitely hasn’t sunk in yet”, Thrasher said Sunday in a conference call with reporters. “I started to realize it was a real possibility about half way through but I pushed that quickly out of my mind”.
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RIO DE JANEIRO – The Olympics began in full with the first gold medal going to an American teenager by the fearsome name of Thrasher. And Thrasher’s not the only rifle Olympian speaking out.
Thrasher was sixth in the qualification round Saturday and shot a flawless 10.9 on her opening shot in the finals.
“This is very special for me”, Thrasher added.
So how exactly did Thrasher come to be one of the world’s best air rifle shooters?
With a loud bang, Thrasher scored 208.0 in the 10-meter air rifle competition, Saturday August 6, 2016, earning her a gold medal on the spot.
She followed that with a 10.4. First came Chase Kalisz, the 22-year-old protégé of Michael Phelps, who swam his fastest time ever to win a silver medal in the men’s 400 individual medley.
Thrasher says all she could do was to stay focused and it means a lot that she defeated the veterans in such an intense competition, “I was just thinking just shoot a ten”.
“Of course, outside distracting thoughts about medals and other outcomes were coming into my head”. I was very good about breathing through them and focusing on what I needed to do. “I knew it was a realistic expectation for me to get into the finals and once you get into the finals, anything can happen”.
“It’s just an intensive feeling of pride for my country and I’m so happy to be here”, said Ms. Thrasher after the victory ceremony.
11 p.m. To her great relief, she completed her final interviews Sunday night.
“In the finals, about halfway through, it kind of became clear to me that I was in contention for a medal”, Thrasher said. That is no longer an option.
“It made it so much more fun to have a relay as my first event, to compete as a team”, Ledecky said. “I’m only communicating with those who can help me refocus for my next match”.
Watch live: Women’s gymnastics begins with qualifications.
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Like all American shooters, Thrasher faced the inevitable question of what she thinks about gun control in the United States, a hot-button issue in this election year. Fortunately for her, she stood her ground, aimed well and gripped the gun tight for a gold medal. She also fought hard and won a gold medal in the 50-meter rifle three positions competition.
