Emmons Wins Bronze For USA

Eight years after a misfire in Athens, and four years after a tactical error in Beijing, Team USA’s Matt Emmons hit a mark on his final shot of the 50-meter rifle 3 position that put him on the medal stand.

Emmons finished the competition with a score of 1,271.3 for the bronze medal, while his good friend Niccolo Campriani of Italy won the gold medal with an Olympic record 1,278.5.

Jonghyun Kim of Korea passed Emmons on the final shot of the competition to finish with a score of 1,272.5 for the silver medal.

Also representing the U.S., Jason Parker finished in 30th place after posting a 1,159 in the qualifying round.

In the previous two Olympic Games, Emmons’ last shot knocked him off the medal stand. On Monday (Aug. 6), Emmons said his last shot was not affected by an outside factor.

“On the last shot I was shaking so much,” said Emmons. “It was just pure nerves.”

Following Emmons’ final mark of 7.6 (out of a

maximum 10.9), the expression on his face was of pure relief. The three-time Olympian was elated to cap off competition at an Olympic Games atop the medal stand.

“Just to be on the podium at the Olympics is a very special thing,” Emmons said. “I am very happy to be up there with bronze. Given what I had to work with today, it was a really tough match. It was probably the toughest match I’ve ever had to shoot.”

On his last shot in Beijing, Emmons broke away from his normal routine, pulling the trigger more quickly in order to limit the distracting crowd noise. Nearly four years after what he called a “poor strategy” in 2008, Emmons entered London with a much different approach to his final shot.

“This time, I said, ‘Okay, I am just going to deal with it. I am going to get in my own world, take the very best shot I can and see what hap- pens,'” Emmons said. “That was a much better choice.”

His shots in the seventh, eighth and ninth series placed Emmons in a comfortable position. He scored a 10.7, 10.6 and 10.5 leading into the final shot of the afternoon.

“When you’re able to make some good ones, it gives you a little bit of relief that you don’t have to make every shot perfect,” Emmons said. “Anytime in a final, I try to keep it in the moment. A lot of those shots I was pretty nervous, but they came down and settled halfway decent.”

Emmons has had a busy and stressful four years leading into these Olympic Games. Between 2008 and his bronze-medal victory, Emmons welcomed his first child into the world and battled thyroid cancer.

“It all has made me a lot tougher,” Emmons said. “Honestly, just to be here is a privilege for me after going through a situation like that. Just to be alive is good.”

“It’s not how you win, but how you handle the loss that tells you if you’re a champion or not,” Campriani said of Emmons. “He’s a model for me – an inspiration. I’m really, really happy that he’s with me today because he’s just a great champion.”

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