Team USA Shooting Wins 6 Total Medals at Tokyo Olympics

Team USA Shooting just wrapped up a historic performance, winning a total of six medals at the Tokyo Olympics. The haul marks the best performance since the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Team USA Shooting Wins 6 Total Medals

The team topped the podium with three wins this summer. William Shaner (Men’s Air Rifle), Amber English (Women’s Skeet), and Vincent Hancock (Men’s Skeet) all took home Olympic gold. Meanwhile, Mary Tucker and Lucas Kozeniesky (Mixed Team Air Rifle) and Kayle Browning (Women’s Trap) won silver medals. Maddy Bernau and Brian Burrows (Mixed Team Trap) delivered a bronze medal performance.

“I’m proud of the contributions made by every member of this team. In a period when training and competitions have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, our shooters came prepared to compete and win,” said Matt Suggs, CEO of USA Shooting.

The performance marked the third Olympic Games where USA Shooting took home six medals, reported USA Shooting. In 1984, the U.S. Team won three gold, one silver and two bronze a the Los Angles games. In 2008, USA Shooting collected two gold, two silver and two bronze in Beijing.

“It’s been an incredibly difficult year for our coaches and athletes to prepare for these games. We had to make some difficult decisions about which competitions to shoot and which ones to forego. Our national team coaches, Jay Waldron, Jason Turner, Dan Durben, and the rest of the staff made the right decisions balancing the risks of travel abroad with the need to prepare, and that paid off for us in Tokyo,” added Suggs.

Team USA Shooting Came to Compete

Shaner kicked off the podium finishes, winning the team’s first gold medal. The 20-year-old became the youngest USA Shooting athlete to medal in an Olympic rifle event, as well as the only gold medal in history for that event for Team USA, reported USA Shooting.

English and Hancock then pulled off a rare sweep, each winning gold in Women’s and Men’s Skeet. The win marked Hancock’s third Olympic skeet title.

Then we have the comebacks. Tucker and Kozeniesky, after Tucker finished sixth individually, teamed up to win silver in Mixed Team Air Rifle. Meanwhile, Browning launched a massive comeback, coming all the way from 9th place to make the finals, ultimately winning a silver medal. Finally, Bernau and Burrows won their Olympic bronze in style, winning a thrilling shoot-off over Slovakia.

“While the focus has been rightly placed on the tremendous success of our athletes, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our coaches, physical therapists, USA Shooting staff, and our Diplomatic Security Service Agent for their efforts in support of the team,” said Suggs.