Kimberly Rhode will shoot both Skeet and Trap Women events at the 2012 London Olympics, after shooting the Trap Minimum Qualification Score today.
Competing at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Tucson, Arizona. USA’s four-time Skeet and Double Trap Women Olympic medallist Kimberly Rhode finished today’s Trap Women event with a score of 65 hits, reaching and exceeding the Minimum Qualification Score for that event.
This means that the 32-year old American shooter – who qualified to participate in the London Olympics in Skeet – will be able to compete in the Trap event as well.
"Skeet will always remain my main event, but I took the chance to shoot Trap at the Games. I will mainly train for Skeet, but I will dedicate some times to Trap shooting before London" Rhode commented right after making the MQS.
“Trap comes after Skeet, in this year’s Olympic program, and therefore I am going for it. Being the first woman to shoot all three events is part of the appeal.” The Californian athlete added.
Rhode won two Olympic titles in Double Trap in 1996 and 2004, and a Double Trap Olympic Bronze in 2000. When Double Trap was discontinued, after the 2004 Games, she switched to Skeet, securing a Silver at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Next July, in London, she will have the chance to become the first US athlete of all times to win five Olympic medals back to back.
While she’s ranked first in the world in the Skeet event (she won Gold at the ISSF World Cup in Tucson in that event just four days ago), she has never been shooting Trap at the Olympics.
Having secured an Olympic Quota Place for the Skeet event last year (the entry ticket to the London Games), and having reached (and exceeded) the Trap’s Minimum Qualification Score today, Rhode will be able to participate in both the competitions, writing a new page of the Olympic history.
The MQS (Minimum Qualification Score) is a minimum score that an athlete must have recorded at least once in a set timeframe, in order to become eligible to take part in the Olympic Games or in the Youth Olympic Games. The Minimum Qualification Scores for each shooting event are designated by the ISSF and can be recorded at ISSF supervised events. Obtaining the Minimum Qualification Score (at least 58 hits out of 75 targets for the Trap Women event), is the first, mandatory step to be eligible to shoot at the Games.