Matthew Emmons
Encyclopedia
Matthew D. Emmons (born April 5, 1981 in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey
) is an American
sport shooter
.
. The young shooter won both the 2002 ISSF World Cup Final
and the 2004 ISSF World Cup Final
in this event.
At the great championships however, his successes have come in another event: that of the prone position
. He won both the 2002 ISSF World Shooting Championships
and the 2004 Summer Olympics
in this event. In Athens
, he was very close to winning a historic double, but in the three positions competition, he accidentally cross-fired his last shot and finished eighth.
Emmons's gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics
in the prone position
came while using a borrowed rifle. In April 2004, just prior to the Olympic Team Trials, Emmons discovered his rifle had been severely sabotaged in the supposedly secure locker room at the United States Olympic Training Center
. The precisely tuned barrel and action were heavily damaged by what appeared to be a screwdriver. "I unpacked my gun and I noticed that something wasn't right," Emmons said. "Sure enough, somebody had done something to it. I shot it and I couldn't get the shell out. I said, 'Something's wrong here'." Emmons said it could not have been an accident "Oh no, no," Emmons said. "Somebody took a screwdriver and went in." Emmons went onto the 2004 Summer Olympics
, and his gold medal in the prone position
event, using his former University of Alaska Fairbanks
teammate, Amber Darland's, .22 rifle. He never found out who the saboteur was, but said "I'd like to know so I could shake their hand and say thanks."
In the 2008 Summer Olympics
, Emmons won the silver medal in the prone competition. In his second event, men's 50 metre rifle three positions, Emmons finished the qualification round in second place, 1 point behind the leader. In the ten shot final, Emmons overtook the leader after just the first shot. Over the next eight shots, Emmons extended his lead to 3.3 points. Then, in a shocking turn of events, his 3.3 point lead vanished when he posted a 4.4 on his final shot. He finished off the podium in 4th place. Emmons called the last shot a "freak of nature." "The way I come into a target is I start above the target and come down from 12 o'clock and get into the bullseye," he told reporters. "And as I get down into the bullseye is when I start to get on the trigger (with my finger) and as I was starting to get on the trigger, the gun just went off. I guess I just set it off. I got on the trigger a little too hard. I didn't feel my trigger finger shaking but I guess it was. It just hit the trigger, the gun went off and I was like 'uh, that's not going to be good - I hope it hit the black'. It hit the black, but a little high," he said.
"It's just not meant to be," said Kateřina Emmons, laughing. "He's definitely the best standing shooter out there. If he can still end up fourth with a 4.4 on the last shot, that's a hell of a shooter." "He smoked everybody else [until the last shot]," Kateřina Emmons said.
"Things happen for a reason," Emmons said. "I said that last time, and it's the truth. Maybe last time, the reason was Katy. This time I don't know yet, but I'm sure something good's going to come from it."
. He holds a degree in management and finance from the University of Alaska Fairbanks
and is a graduate at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
, Colorado Springs
.
Emmons married Czech
sport shooter and Olympic champion Kateřina Kůrková
. in Pilsen, Czech Republic on June 30, 2007. They met at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens when Kateřina came to console Matt after his gold medal blunder. They both live and train at the Colorado Springs, Colo. Olympic Training Center.
Mount Holly Township, New Jersey
Mount Holly Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States as well as an eastern suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 10,728. It is the county seat of Burlington County....
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sport shooter
Shooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
.
Careers
Emmons started out as a successful junior and has been a holder of the junior world record in 50 metre rifle three positions50 metre rifle three positions
50 metre rifle three positions is an International Shooting Sport Federation event, a miniature version of 300 metre rifle three positions. It consists of the prone, standing and kneeling positions, fired in that order, with 3×40 shots for men and 3×20 shots for women...
. The young shooter won both the 2002 ISSF World Cup Final
2002 ISSF World Cup Final
For the 2002 ISSF World Cup in the seventeen Olympic shooting events, the World Cup Final was held in August 2002 in Munich, Germany for the rifle, pistol and running target events, and in October 2002 in Lonato, Italy for the shotgun events....
and the 2004 ISSF World Cup Final
2004 ISSF World Cup Final
For the 2004 ISSF World Cup Final in the seventeen Olympic shooting events, the World Cup Final was held in September 2004 in Maribor, Slovenia for the shotgun events, and in October 2004 in Bangkok, Thailand for the rifle, pistol and running target events...
in this event.
At the great championships however, his successes have come in another event: that of the prone position
50 metre rifle prone
50 metre rifle prone is an International Shooting Sport Federation event consisting of 60 shots from the prone position with a .22 Long Rifle caliber rifle...
. He won both the 2002 ISSF World Shooting Championships
2002 ISSF World Shooting Championships
The 48th ISSF World Shooting Championships were held in Lahti, Finland from July 2 to July 16, 2002.- Medal count :- World records :Several world records were equalled or bettered in Lahti...
and the 2004 Summer Olympics
Shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics
In shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 390 competitors from 106 nations contested 17 events . The competition took place at the Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre, located in the east of the Greek region of Attica....
in this event. In Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, he was very close to winning a historic double, but in the three positions competition, he accidentally cross-fired his last shot and finished eighth.
Emmons's gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics
In shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 390 competitors from 106 nations contested 17 events . The competition took place at the Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre, located in the east of the Greek region of Attica....
in the prone position
50 metre rifle prone
50 metre rifle prone is an International Shooting Sport Federation event consisting of 60 shots from the prone position with a .22 Long Rifle caliber rifle...
came while using a borrowed rifle. In April 2004, just prior to the Olympic Team Trials, Emmons discovered his rifle had been severely sabotaged in the supposedly secure locker room at the United States Olympic Training Center
United States Olympic Training Center
The United States Olympic Training Centers are three campuses created by the United States Olympic Committee as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Lake Placid, New York; and Chula Vista, California. There is a U.S. Olympic...
. The precisely tuned barrel and action were heavily damaged by what appeared to be a screwdriver. "I unpacked my gun and I noticed that something wasn't right," Emmons said. "Sure enough, somebody had done something to it. I shot it and I couldn't get the shell out. I said, 'Something's wrong here'." Emmons said it could not have been an accident "Oh no, no," Emmons said. "Somebody took a screwdriver and went in." Emmons went onto the 2004 Summer Olympics
Shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics
In shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 390 competitors from 106 nations contested 17 events . The competition took place at the Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre, located in the east of the Greek region of Attica....
, and his gold medal in the prone position
50 metre rifle prone
50 metre rifle prone is an International Shooting Sport Federation event consisting of 60 shots from the prone position with a .22 Long Rifle caliber rifle...
event, using his former University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
teammate, Amber Darland's, .22 rifle. He never found out who the saboteur was, but said "I'd like to know so I could shake their hand and say thanks."
In the 2008 Summer Olympics
Shooting at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Shooting competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held from August 9 to August 17, at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall and Beijing Shooting Range Clay Target Field...
, Emmons won the silver medal in the prone competition. In his second event, men's 50 metre rifle three positions, Emmons finished the qualification round in second place, 1 point behind the leader. In the ten shot final, Emmons overtook the leader after just the first shot. Over the next eight shots, Emmons extended his lead to 3.3 points. Then, in a shocking turn of events, his 3.3 point lead vanished when he posted a 4.4 on his final shot. He finished off the podium in 4th place. Emmons called the last shot a "freak of nature." "The way I come into a target is I start above the target and come down from 12 o'clock and get into the bullseye," he told reporters. "And as I get down into the bullseye is when I start to get on the trigger (with my finger) and as I was starting to get on the trigger, the gun just went off. I guess I just set it off. I got on the trigger a little too hard. I didn't feel my trigger finger shaking but I guess it was. It just hit the trigger, the gun went off and I was like 'uh, that's not going to be good - I hope it hit the black'. It hit the black, but a little high," he said.
"It's just not meant to be," said Kateřina Emmons, laughing. "He's definitely the best standing shooter out there. If he can still end up fourth with a 4.4 on the last shot, that's a hell of a shooter." "He smoked everybody else [until the last shot]," Kateřina Emmons said.
"Things happen for a reason," Emmons said. "I said that last time, and it's the truth. Maybe last time, the reason was Katy. This time I don't know yet, but I'm sure something good's going to come from it."
Personal life
Emmons has been a resident of Mount Holly Township, New JerseyMount Holly Township, New Jersey
Mount Holly Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States as well as an eastern suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 10,728. It is the county seat of Burlington County....
. He holds a degree in management and finance from the University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
and is a graduate at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a campus of the University of Colorado system, the state university system of Colorado....
, Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
.
Emmons married Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
sport shooter and Olympic champion Kateřina Kůrková
Katerina Emmons
Kateřina Emmons, née Kůrková is a female Czech sport shooter who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics, where she won a bronze medal, and the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she won her first gold medal in the women's 10 metre air rifle competition, and the very first gold medal of that particular...
. in Pilsen, Czech Republic on June 30, 2007. They met at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens when Kateřina came to console Matt after his gold medal blunder. They both live and train at the Colorado Springs, Colo. Olympic Training Center.
| Current world records held in 50 metre rifle prone 50 metre rifle prone 50 metre rifle prone is an International Shooting Sport Federation event consisting of 60 shots from the prone position with a .22 Long Rifle caliber rifle... |
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