Olympic skeet shooter Kim Rhode made history at this year’s Olympic Games in Rio after winning the bronze medal in women’s skeet. She is the first female athlete to ever medal in six consecutive Olympic Games.
Rhode had placed fourth in the semifinals, and the finals ended in a shoot-off between Rhode and Meng Wei of China for the bronze. Both missed a clay during the first round of the shoot-off. Rhode finished the next three rounds perfect, and when Wei missed a clay in the fourth round, Rhode claimed the medal to a standing ovation. Rhode’s USA Shooting teammate Morgan Craft was eliminated in a semifinals shoot-off.
Rhode’s Olympic shooting career will certainly stand the test of time. She broke the women’s skeet Olympic record with a near-perfect score of 99 at the 2012 London Games. A versatile shotgun competitor, she has medaled in both double trap and skeet:
• 1996 Atlanta Games, gold medal, double trap
• 2000 Sydney Games, bronze medal, double trap
• 2004 Athens Games, gold medal, double trap
• 2008 Beijing Games, silver medal, skeet
• 2012 London Games, gold medal, skeet
• 2016 Rio Games, bronze medal, skeet
In an interview with Kevin Neuendorf of USA Shooting before heading to Rio, Rhode spoke of her legacy:
“Legacy is such a big word. It’s about passing on what you love to the generations behind you. It’s about making sure my son and other people’s kids will be able to enjoy this sport and to enjoy the outdoors. I’m hoping that’s what my legacy will be. You should be giving of your time. You should want to give back. What am I going to do with a shiny new medal when I’m 80? When I’m dead and gone, people aren’t going to have the same impression of this sport or me if I don’t give them something to experience. I realize the importance of what I’m doing for my sport.”
A staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, Rhode addressed the 2012 Republican National Convention, and has criticized gun-control measures in her home state of California. In an interview with Time magazine at the Olympics, Rhode said, “We should have the right to keep and bear arms, to protect ourselves and our family. The Second Amendment was put in there not just so we can go shoot skeet or go shoot trap. It was put in so we could defend our First Amendment, the freedom of speech, and also to defend ourselves against our own government.”
