We Have Boredom to Thank:
Katerina Emmons, named Katerina Kurkova before she married USA Olympic rifle shooter Matt Emmons in 2007, was born in 1983. She competed in swimming until an illness put an end to that, and she began looking for something to stave off her boredom. Her champion-shooter father suggested she try rifle shooting, at which she discovered she has considerable talent. Plus, it was fun.Pre-2008 Olympic Experience:
Katerina's experience includes a 2002 World Championship, and she won Bronze in Women's Air Rifle at the 2004 Olympics, failing to make the grade for the 3 Position Rifle event that year. Because of her poor score, she met her future husband Matt Emmons, whom she married in 2007.Going into the 2008 Games, Katerina was qualified for Air Rifle and 3 Position Rifle. She won a Gold medal in Air Rifle at a pre-Olympic shoot in Beijing, matching Du Li's 2003 world record of 504.9 in the process. Germany's Sonja Pfeilschifter later beat that world record by shooting a 505.0.
In 2008:
Katerina, a U.S. resident despite being an Olympian for the Czech Republic, received the first Gold medal of the 2008 Beijing Olympics when she won the Women's 10m Air Rifle event, and set a new Olympic record of of 503.5 while she was at it.In 50m 3-Position Rifle, Katerina grabbed Silver, while her steady competitor Du Li of China won Gold.
