What were you doing in the summer of 1996? Boris Yeltsin was re-elected in Russia, Dolly the sheep was born in Scotland, and Kim Rhode won gold in Double Trap in the Atlanta Olympics. She was was the youngest female gold medalist in shooting at just 17-years old. But she was already the Ladies World Champion in American Skeet four years before that.
Now, she’s the only female Olympian to have medaled in six consecutive Olympics, and only one other Olympian, Armin Zoeggeler (luge), has done the same. So how does an athlete who has lead the world for the last 28 years fail to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
“I have no excuses,” she told the Los Angeles Times in a phone interview. “It’s something you can’t take for granted. Every time, you have to qualify.”
All it takes is missing one or two shots in a highly competitive sport and suddenly you’re not representing your country at the Olympics. Rhode finished fourth, and only the top two get to compete.
The Spring Olympic Trials are comprised of four shooting days. Although shooters will only fire 100 shots at clays in the Olympics, the qualifier was 250 shots plus the finals, plus some points for placing. This qualifier score is combined with scores from the Fall qualifier for a total score.
Amber English, Rhode’s mentee and an Army reservist, scored a 532, followed by Austen Smith’s 529. Samantha Simonton (527) and Kim Rhode’s (520) will be alternates at the Tokyo games. Here’re the scores for the Spring trials. A perfect score in each round would be 25.
| Name | STATE | Fall | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Finals | Total |
| Amber English | CO | 236 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 51 | 532 |
| Austen Smith | TX | 243 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 50 | 529 |
| Samantha Simonton | CO | 240 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 50 | 527 |
| Kimberly Rhode | CA | 239 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 50 | 520 |
Rhode is on Team Beretta and uses their DT11 over-under shotgun in 12 gauge. Loads for olympic skeet shooting are limited to 7/8oz of #7 shot.
Rhode is undaunted by the results of the qualifier. She will be an alternate for the Tokyo games and she says she still plans to compete at the Paris games in 2024 and even the Los Angeles games in 2028.
The Olympics are only once every four years and Kim Rhode competes at far more competitions than the Olympics alone. She’s also won gold at the World Cup and set many world records. Rhode has been competing since the age of ten, and a little setback like this won’t stop her.
If I recall correctly, Kim used Perazzi until Rio 2016 when her gun was stolen or lost just before the event. I think Perazzi could not replace it in time, and Beretta stepped in and saved the day, and she’s been shooting Beretta ever since. Here in SoCal, she regularly shoots at what used to be called Triple B’s, and before that, we use to see her at Prado quite a bit. She’s phenomenal, but to see her shoot a 20 in round 4, man, that is tragic. She had to know right then and there what her odds were, yet she still shot decently after that terrible round. Fortitude. I really wish she could shoot for the USA this year again, but fair is fair. She got beat. I hate that the qualifiers are all down to one event. Anyone can have a bad day. I think it should be spread out a bit, and then averaged together.
Wasn’t she using Remington before all the other makers?
Tokyo 2020 Olympics will probably be impacted by Covid 19 so maybe she’ll be able to re-qualify.
Also, I think she shoots at my local range.
Still, quite an accomplishment. The human spirit dictates that there will always be someone who’s better coming in the winds. And after that someone else. A remarkable record nonetheless.
Well, if I were Rhodes, I would speak to Beretta and have them help you obtain Italian Citizenship, allowing you to take a spot of the Italian Team. Go and win another Gold for yourself and at the same time, “stick your thumb in the eye” of the U.S. Olympic Committee.
The Olympics are many things and one of them is a corrupt self enrichment tool for the leadership. F-them. Get yours and get in the record books and then write a real book.
Be an independant and powerful woman and show them what you are made of. Never let them tell you that you can’t do anything. Surrender is not an option and there is no “Fair”.
Good Luck
How long has Kim been using this particular shotgun? I have 3 different shotguns and each one of them feels and shoots differently. I have 2 of the same make and model, and both shoot differently. I basically have to “retrain” myself when I use a different shotgun. Not making excuses for her, just food for thought.
Kim shot a Perazzi for most of her shooting career until Beretta “purchased” her then she switched to the Dt-11. I’m not certain what year that was but she was shooting the Beretta at Rio in 2016.
I’d think that 4 years would be enough time to get used to the different gun but I think that she’d go back to the Perazzi if Beretta wasn’t paying her to use their gun.