United States skeet shooting duo win gold medal at Olympics
Vincent Hancock and Amber English were both victorious in the Olympics skeet shooting competition on Monday morning.
Monday was a historic day for the United States at the Tokyo Olympics and the country keeps racking medals in several competitions. Vincent Hancock won his third gold medal in the men's skeet shooting competition after taking a long break and he was matched by his compatriot and friend Amber English, who won the women’s skeet.
American both champions at the Tokyo Olympics
“I knew I was going to be nervous watching her but it was worth it,” said Hancock. “I got to see her shoot her last shots to win the gold and she’s so deserving of it. I was yelling at the top of my lungs so for me it was really exciting. I was like, ‘All right, she’s able to do this, now it’s my turn.’ It really set a great tone and I’m just so proud of her and proud to bring another medal back to the US.''
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Hancock had won gold in 2008 and 2012, but finished in 15th place in 2016 at the Rio Olympics. The 32-year-old became the first man to win two gold medals in the campaign and now he has three under his belt. The road to the third one was not easy for the American after he missed three of his last eight targets in the last round of qualification.
But he was able to score in a shoot-off and secured his ticket to the next round. After that little setback, Hancock was nearly perfect and he only missed once in 54 targets. Denmark’s Jesper Hansen missed target No 54 and the American took a two-shot advantage with six remaining. Hancock ended the final round with 59 out of 60 shots made, a new Olympic record, to win the gold medal in Tokyo.
On the other hand, English failed to qualify for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, but never gave up and made it to the 2020 Olympic campaign in Tokyo. The American had to face Italy’s Diana Bacosi, the reigning champion, in the final. English took the lead after Bacosi missed the 53rd shot and the Colorado native hit the next four targets to win the gold medal.
“I was very fortunate to put everything together at the right time,” she said. “I trained very hard. There are some things that I would like to get back from the match, but the shooters that adapt faster are the ones who get better results. All I could control was my own shooting and emotions. It is always down to the last wire,” said English after winning the tournament.