Team USA’s Kayle Browning engineered a massive comeback to take the silver medal in Trap at the Tokyo Olympics Wednesday. Browning defied the odds after missing three of her first four shots, catching fire with 19 consecutive clays broken to ascend to the medal podium.
Kayle Browning Wins Silver Medal in Trap
The Arkansas native comes from with a shooting pedigree. Her father, Tommy Lynn Browning, owns a national sporting clays championship. The Olympian leaned on her dad’s unique fatherly advise when the going got tough.
“He kept telling me, ‘Even if you miss, even if you’re behind, never give up. Keep fighting till that last shot and whatever’s meant to happen will happen, so just give it your best shot,’” she said, reported Team USA.
“He’s told me that my whole life.”
“Indescribable. So pumped. An amazing comeback. Still can’t believe it.” Tommy Browning said, reported Fox 16.
For a moment, Browning even held the lead during the medal round. But Slovakia’s Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova edged Browning out, 43 to 42, to take the gold. But Browning becomes just the third woman to medal in Trap at the Olympics, joining Corey Cogdell (bronze, 2008 and 2016).
“This is the pinnacle of my career,” said Browning, an alternate for the 2012 games, reported Team USA. “I’ve worked for this moment my whole life, so I don’t really have words to describe it yet, but I’m definitely proud.”
“I felt extremely prepared,” Browing continued. “Typically, I get kind of nervous before a shoot, but for this shoot, I felt really prepared and really calm and really confident.”
Browning sat in ninth place following three rounds of preliminary competition, reported Team USA, with a score of 71 (23-24-24). She then put a 24, followed by a 25, putting her in a tie for fifth place, securing the sixth and final position after the shoot-off. And from there, Browning took Olympic silver.
Browning now joins Lucas Kozeniesky, Mary Tucker, William Shaner, Vincent Hancock and Amber English for earning medals in shooting disciplines at these games. For more Olympic Coverage, visit Tokyo Olympics.
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