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PARIS — With a historic fourth gold medal in Olympic men's skeet, the U.S. shotgun competitor Vincent Hancock joined one of the most exclusive clubs in Olympic history: athletes who have won the same event in four different Olympic Games.
Before the 2024 Summer Games, only five athletes ever had accomplished that feat. Among them are some of the greatest Olympians of all time — including the swimmer and 26-time medalist Michael Phelps and Carl Lewis, the American long jump champion who was tapped to escort the Olympic torch during this year's opening ceremony.
Hancock competes in skeet, a shotgun discipline in which competitors must shoot down a series of clay targets launched before them. Saturday's final came down to the two competitors from Team USA: Hancock, 35, and Conner Prince, 24. The two took turns in the lead and were tied for much of the final stage — then Hancock overtook Prince in the last four clays to claim the gold.
Hancock is one of 10 U.S. service members and veterans on Team USA. Six of them compete in shooting. Hancock, 35, served in the Army for six years, including time with its Marksmanship Unit.
He opened his own shooting range last year in Texas, where he now coaches younger shooters — among them the silver medalist Prince.
Incredibly, Hancock was one of two U.S. athletes to join the four-time club on Saturday. Hours after Hancock's gold medal performance, the swimmer Katie Ledecky won Olympic gold in the women's 800-meter freestyle for the fourth consecutive Games.
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