Alumna smashes record on way to Olympic gold
August 4, 2012
Photo by Getty ImagesRifle alumna Jamie Gray (2002-06) captured Olympic gold Saturday, winning the Women's 50m 3P event. Jamie Foland
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It took four years and four Olympic finals but it was worth the journey as Alaska rifle alumna Jamie Gray (Lebanon, Pa.) broke two Olympic records en route to a gold medal on Saturday in the Women's 50-Meter Three-Position shooting event.
Her final score of 691.9, topped the previous total Olympic mark of 690.3 set by China's Du Li at the 2008 Beijing Games. Gray clinched gold on her final shot with a near-perfect 10.8 (just 0.1 off a perfect shot).
Gray, who was fifth in the same event a Beijing, also bested the Olympic record (589 set by Renata Mauer-Rozanska of Poland at 1996 Atlanta Games) in the qualifying round with a 592 - just shy of the world record - and never looked back in the final.
Serbia's Ivana Maksimovic was 4.4 behind Gray in silver medal position and Czech Adela Sykorova took bronze, 8.9 points behind Gray.
Photo by Getty ImagesJamie Gray hugs head coach Dave Johnson after shooting a 99.9 in the finals and clinching her first Olympic gold medal.The conditions during the event, which was shot on an outdoor range, didn't phase Gray. She admitted she had prepared for the British weather, and that preparation certainly came in handy as the wind blew and rain fell during the qualifying round.
"It was definitely a little windy but we've done so much training around the entire USA," she said. 'We trained in all kinds of conditions which really prepared me for this.
'In the test event I wasn't prepared for it but we really worked on it.
'And I needed patience. I was on top of it today, it was just awesome!'
Since debuting on the international shooting stage in 2002, Gray has won several gold medals in the three-position at events around the world, but this was her first career Olympic gold.
Gray shot for the Nanooks from 2002-2006, during which time she won two individual NCAA National Championships (air rifle in 2003 and smallbore in 2006) and was a part of three of Alaska's NCAA Championships teams (2003, 2004, 2006).