Olympic Gold Medalist Says Hunting Started it All

Ginny Thrasher, a 19-year-old shooter from Springfield, Va., won the first gold medal of the 2016 Olympic Games for Team USA. Thrasher triumphed over silver medalist Du Li of China by a full point in the women’s 10-meter air rifle event, and she said it all began with a deer hunt.

“I got my first deer and I liked the adrenaline of pulling the trigger,” she said.

From those humble beginnings, which all hunters can relate to, Thrasher went on to shoot for her high-school air-rifle team, which ultimately landed her a spot on the West Virginia University rifle team. As if taking the NCAA championships in 2016 as a freshman wasn’t enough, Thrasher earned herself a spot on the 2016 Olympic team and claimed gold in Rio.