Vincent Hancock just helped the United States take home another gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Hancock secured the gold medal in skeet shooting, defeating fellow American Conner Prince in a close competition. It was also the former Army sergeant’s fourth gold medal, making him one of only sixth athletes to ever win the same individual Olympic event four times.
The 35-year-old Army veteran was awarded the gold medal Saturday, Aug. 3 after winning the final round of six shooters. Each one was eliminated one by one, until finally it was just Hancock and Prince. This year Hancock had an interesting competitor: his own student. Hancock defeated Prince, who he coaches, by just one shot. While Prince hit 57 of his 60 total shots, Hancock hit 58. Prince took home the silver medal. Taiwan’s Lee Meng-yuan won bronze.
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After coming out victorious at the Chateauroux Shooting Center in Paris, Hancock high-fived Prince several times.
“I feel like, for whatever reasons, God has blessed me with the ability to go out and break targets and to shoot a gun really well,” Hancock told reporters after the event.
Hancock has been competing for almost two decades. He joined the U.S. Army in 2006, eventually serving as part of the Army Marksmanship Unit. He left the Army in 2012, retiring as a sergeant. Hancock is one of six active-duty or veteran service members competing in shooting events at the Olympics, and one of 10 total in Team USA. The other four veterans and service members are competing in track and field, rugby and wrestling.
The Paris games are Hancock’s fifth time at the Olympics. He’s competed in every Summer Olympics since the 2008 Games in Beijing. He’s medaled at three previous editions; the only Olympics he did not secure a medal was the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he placed 15th. As a four-time gold medal winner, Hancock is in a rare group of Olympic athletes. Other four-time winners for the same individual event include Michael Phelps and Carl Lewis. Outside of the Olympic Games, Hancock has won gold in several skeet shooting world championships.
After winning in Paris, Hancock told reporters he intends to compete one more time in the Olympics, confirming he aims to represent Team USA at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
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