U.S. Olympic Shooter Kim Rhode Talks Longevity In Olympics

When U.S. Olympic Shooter Kim Rhode, 33, won the gold medal in skeet shooting at the 2012 Olympic Games, she became the first Olympian ever to medal in five consecutive Olympic Games. She was also the first woman to ever win three individual gold medals in shooting.
“I don’t think it ever becomes old hat,” Rhode said about her endeavors to the New York Times. “It’s really about the journey.”
Born in Whittier, Calif., Rhode began shooting when she was 10. She won her first medal when she took home gold as a 17-year-old at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Having already competed in five Olympic Games, she is a seasoned veteran, despite her young age. “I think that's one thing that's so fantastic about our sport. In shooting we tend to have a longer longevity than, say, a gymnast, so it's something that we can do for a very long period of time,” she told Uinterview exclusively. "The oldest medalist in the history of the Olympics was a shooter—he was 72. So I hopefully have a few more Olympics under my belt.”
Equally impressive was how she has managed to keep her focus in a sport that requires a lot of attention. “Well, you know, practice is never easy. If it is, then you're not doing it right,” Rhode told Uinterview. “It's one of those things that you're always pushing yourself to do more and be better — focus harder and longer. And hopefully, when you do that, when you go into that competition, it's something that makes it easy.”