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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jul 30, 2012 - 11:17am PT
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London Olympics: With Olympic medals, Kim Rhode is sure as shooting
The 33-year-old from Monrovia captures the gold in skeet shooting, making her the first U.S. Olympic athlete to win at least one medal in an individual sport in five consecutive Games.
By Bill Dwyre
July 30, 2012
LONDON — Contrary to popular belief at these London Olympics, Kim Rhode did not fire a shot heard 'round the world Sunday. She fired 99.
Our Annie Oakley from Monrovia, who entered Sunday's women's skeet competition amid as much attention on a U.S. shooter as there has been since Roy Rogers, demolished the field. Watching her perform at the Royal Artillery Barracks felt a little like the days when Tiger Woods got ahead in a golf tournament and the other guys became puddles around him.
Rhode had come to these Olympics as a prominent member of the pre-show hype. That's not the norm for a shooter. But when you start winning medals as a 16-year-old at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, and have won at least one in every ensuing Games, even NBC takes notice.
A description of the record she was pursuing had been typed and broadcast and echoed thousands of times in the run-up to London. A medal for Rhode, any medal, would make her the first U.S. Olympic athlete to win at least one in an individual sport in five consecutive Games. She has won gold in Atlanta, Athens and now here, to go with bronze in Sydney and silver in Beijing.
That's impressive, but if you had watched Rhode shoot over the years, what happened Sunday was pretty much a given. She has eyes that can spot a squirrel in a tree half a mile away. She doesn't ruffle, doesn't flinch, doesn't ever, for lack of a better term, take her eyes off the target.
"I've been like this since I was a kid," she said afterward. "I can remember, standing in front of a TV set, never even seeing people walking in front of me, just locked on the movie I was watching."
Those pro golfers who have such trouble closing the deal on Sundays ought to hire her for anti-choke lessons.
Under something considered the ultimate pressure, she broke the first 50 targets during the preliminaries and broke the next six in the semifinals before missing. Then she ran off the next 43, including all 25 in the pressure-packed final.
Asked about the miss, she didn't blink.
"Station 5," she said. "Low house single. No reason. I just missed."
The 74 of 75 was a world record and the 99 of 100 tied a world record, of which Rhode was one of the incumbent holders. She won by eight targets, or the equivalent of Usain Bolt winning the 100 meters by two seconds.
Under pressure, others droop. Rhode dazzles. She is becoming one of those certainties in life — death, taxes and Kim Rhode hitting clay targets.
When she hit the final target, the big scoreboard that looms over the shooters as they march from station to station showed a field of competitors with blanks for each miss scattered after their names. Only silver medalist Wei Ning of China had hung tough, with only two misses. Rhode's scoreboard, like her ability with a gun, was flawless, all 25 squares filled.
While she waited for a shoot-off for the bronze medal, won by Danka Bartekova of Slovakia, she quietly wandered toward the spectator bleachers, where she met her father and coach, Richard. There was a hug and the perfect brief exchange of emotion.
"I told her I was proud of her," Richard said, "and she said, 'I love you, Dad.'"
Rhode is a fascination on many levels. Besides shooting as many as four flats a day — 250 rounds to a flat — she scuba dives, skis and collects old children's books and vintage cars. She restores the cars.
"Just before I came here, I bought a 1928 Model A Roadster," she said, adding that this one was mint enough for her to drive and not need to fix up, unlike her 13 others.
Her ability to remain calm while others tear their hair out was demonstrated in the hoops she jumped through just to get here. The airlines canceled her flight from LAX on two consecutive days; that was after her poodle ate her airline ticket.
"I know how that sounds," she said, "but it really happened."
Then her husband, Mike Harryman, lost his passport.
Even weather doesn't shake her. She had to go through early rounds in intermittent drizzle, and said afterward, "My dad told me I might have to perform well sometime in rain. He was right."
In the afternoon, for the 25-shot final, the clouds parted as if courting majesty. And the queen of sports shooting delivered royally.
Now, the only question remaining is how much longer Rhode, recently turned 33, would continue competing, a question answered clearly by Richard Rhode.
"The oldest Olympic medalist was a shooter, I think," he said. "He won a medal when he was 72."
bill.dwyre@latimes.com
Copyright © 2012, Los Angeles Times
Dwyre on Kim Rhode
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I didn't know she is calling Monrovia home now. I better get ready for the parade.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Jul 30, 2012 - 11:20am PT
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It seems like a "sport" that requires some skill and talent - like many things - but it doesn't seem like one that belongs in the olympics. This seems closer to something you'd see on Letterman's Stupid Human Tricks than something remotely athletic. Are there any other countries besides GB and maybe Germany that show up with guns? Do they all therefore get a medal regardless? She's got to be one of the softest "athletes" in the games.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 30, 2012 - 11:33am PT
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Who holds the record for shooting lawyers in the face?
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Jul 30, 2012 - 12:15pm PT
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I placed ninth
so you were a loser? heh
sorry, couldnt resist.
i dont care if it's a sport or a game. not like there's a nice bright line. i was at a big history of sport conference a couple years back at cambridge and there was all kinds of angst over what counted as a "sport."
whatever we call the discipline, it's remarkable for anyone to stay at the peak for that long a time.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jul 30, 2012 - 01:02pm PT
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The oldest competitors at the Olympics are the horse jumpers. Canada's Ian Millar is 65, and in his 10th (!) consecutive Olympics. (Not counting Moscow, presumably.) Sure, it's only something for the wealthy elite, but it does require fitness, skill and athleticism - and he's 65! One of the Japanese horse jumpers at London is 71, and first competed in Tokyo in 1964.
And yes, a good chunk of the activities at the Olympics are only sports in the loosest possible meaning of the word, and have no real legitimacy.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jul 30, 2012 - 01:29pm PT
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mind and body control are all you need
Pretty much describes any sport.
What else is left?
If hiting a baseball is sport so is skeet.
Imagine standing at home plate with a pitcher on third and one on first hidden behind screens so you can't see the windup.
They randomly throw 90mph fast balls at the same time.
knock both of them down at once.
Do it 99 out of 100 times.
in the rain.
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nick d
Trad climber
nm
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Jul 30, 2012 - 01:40pm PT
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Back to my original point of it being the Olympic Games, including many activities that are not sports.
Your baseball analogy would work better if they fired the birds at the shooter, at least introducing some element of risk besides shooting yourself. My guess is after you got beaned a couple of times your % would decrease.
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Kurt Ettinger
Trad climber
Martinez, CA
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Jul 30, 2012 - 02:09pm PT
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Not a sport. One of several "activities" that should not be in the Olympics. Impressivly developed skill though.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Jul 30, 2012 - 02:41pm PT
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Not a sport. One of several "activities" that should not be in the Olympics. Impressivly developed skill though.
Olympic "Games." Not Olympic "Sport." Choose not to tune in, the more the merrier. I for one plan someday on living in a world where I can get drunk and watch Olympic Pimping and the Baby Toss.
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10b4me
Ice climber
dingy room at the Happy boulders hotel
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Jul 30, 2012 - 02:46pm PT
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CLIMBING is NOT A SPORT
not according to Hemingway.
Hemingway"the only three sports are bullfighting, motor racing, and mountain climbing. the others are mere games"
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Matt M
Trad climber
Alamo City
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Jul 30, 2012 - 03:08pm PT
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I consider a "Game" to be something that is not dependent in any way shape or form on physical skill. things like poker are games.
People that whine about golf or baseball or shooting not being a "real sport" simply are biased towards sports that test more of the cardio/fitness side rather than the mental/muscle control side of sport.
In my younger days, with a T&F / Soccer background, I too fell into this unenlightened view point. The fat baseball DH that didn't run worth a damn or the golfer with a belly at the Masters offended me in some way. They didn't know the pain of wind sprints or running hills! That's not a sport!
With age and more life experiences that tune has GREATLY changed. Playing a round of golf made me appreciate the coordination and physical control that SPORT takes let alone the mental control at the higher levels. A round in a batting cage with 60+ MPH balls (let alone 90+) taught me a thing about baseball.
The list goes on and on. Go shoot a round of skeet at a local range and get back to me on that. Does it test your VO2 MAX? Nope. But it certainly will test your hand eye coordination among others things.
Also, don't whine on about privilege and "rich people" in certain sports. While certain sports most certainly require money and do have a history of wealth associated with them, that's not necessarily the case with an individual athlete and MANY who participate in certain sports do so only with great effort and sacrifice. Climbing isn't cheap either and when people bitch about "rich people" I wonder how much all the climbing gear costs. I KNOW I've dropped several grand into gear and equal that on climbing trips.
Impressive feat by Kim Rhodes. Agreed - I'd like to hear more about the outlier sports and less about how Michael Phelps isn't living up to the pre-olympic hype. WHAT?!? Younger and talented people are beating him! GASP. PLease...
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Jul 30, 2012 - 03:15pm PT
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Is there a softer, fatter, more out of shape athlete in the entire olympics - that medaled? Please post their name.
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Gary
climber
"My god - it's full of stars!"
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Jul 30, 2012 - 03:17pm PT
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Awesome! Another reason guns are are cool!
Wait, I thought guns don't shoot targets, people shoot targets?
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Marlow
Sport climber
OSLO
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Jul 30, 2012 - 03:28pm PT
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She has still got many years in front of her. Swedish Oscar Swahn won silver medal in running deer at the age of 72 in OL 1920 and gold medal when he was 64.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Swahn
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nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
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Jul 30, 2012 - 03:29pm PT
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I'm not at all a gun fan. But it's pretty easy to see this is something that requires an immense amount of skill, practice, and physical control. I think it belongs in the Olympics as much as anything else there. And this lady kids major arse. I'm more impressed that she has a life outside of that activity and this is just a hobby (even if a major one).
To folks who are belittling it or saying it's not a sport: why? Show a little grace.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Jul 30, 2012 - 03:37pm PT
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Is there a softer, fatter, more out of shape athlete in the entire olympics - that medaled? Please post their name.
Nice man! Way to take her down a notch! A one legged wrestler won division one college nationals, but it was just extra weight right?
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jul 30, 2012 - 03:51pm PT
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I'm more impressed that she has a life outside of that activity and this is just a hobby (even if a major one).
I've met world class competitors in several disciplines and the shooters seem to be the closest to "normal" of the bunch.
It's probably because they do tend to have a life outside their sport.
Many of the other disciplines, that's not really possible.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 30, 2012 - 03:54pm PT
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Hand-eye co-ordination challenge is sport.
Are we really having this discussion?
I thought you had more class JLP.
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Gary
climber
"My god - it's full of stars!"
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Jul 30, 2012 - 03:58pm PT
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What she did is way cool. It is a sport. Hell, chess is a sport. You need to be in good physical shape for that if you are competing at a high level.
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