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London 2012 in the crosshairs

Kateřina Emmons won Beijing's first gold, but will it be her last?

October 8th, 2008 issue

By Brian Pinelli

Photo courtesy of Sports Invest
Kateřina Emmons won gold in Beijing, but in the immediate future will look forward to family life.
For the Post
About 12 hours after the Olympic Opening Ceremony on the morning of Aug. 9, 24-year-old Plzeň native Kateřina Emmons became the first gold medalist of the Beijing Games. Her score of 503.5 in the women’s 10-meter air rifle, including a perfect 400 in the qualifying round, was an Olympic record. Emmons would also shoot her way to a silver medal five days later in the 50-meter rifle three-position event.
Emmons’ husband, Matt, shoots for the U.S. team; the pair met four years earlier in Athens. On the verge of his own gold medal in the 50-meter men’s event with one shot remaining, Matt misfired, dropping him to fourth place and out of the medal picture. Emmons recently announced she was taking time off from competition to have a baby.
Emmons was in Prague last Friday and The Prague Post caught up with her at the Jalta Hotel on Wenceslas Square.
The Prague Post: Tell us about the entire Beijing Olympic experience. How did you feel when you first arrived there and what was everything like in the Olympic Village?
Kateřina Emmons: It was really impressive and huge. The most impressive thing for me compared to Athens (site of the 2004 Olympics) was the organizing of everything. It was unbelievable. Everything was working and there were no problems. If you did have some problem they came and fixed it. For us, it was really comfy to stay in the Olympic Village and enjoy because there was a lot to do, places to go and see different stuff and learn about China. It was really nice.
TPP: What about the lead-up to the competition and winning? What do you recall most?
KE: It was a weird day. I had different feelings. Of course, I did everything for my preparation. The first few days after we arrived I had some problems and was shooting badly so I was worried I would not shoot my best. The thing I always say is that your head and body are smarter than you think because they save energy for the big one.
That day my stomach didn’t feel too good and I was nervous. I think I went to the bathroom four times before the match. But it calmed down when I started my sightings. The match started pretty good. I just told myself I’m tired of being this nervous. I just want to start shooting and we’ll see how it goes. I’ll just work with what I have and it worked out pretty well.
TPP: Some say that you and your husband Matt are the best team in all of shooting. Tell me about his support and presence that morning.
KE: His support is just to be there. That’s enough for me. He was there behind me in case I needed anything. And I actually felt like stopping shooting with something like eight shots to go. I just felt like I needed to put the gun down because I could make a mistake and just go and talk to him about whatever. It wasn’t even about shooting actually.
But then I told him, I had all 10s and I don’t want to shoot a 9 anymore and lose a point. I expected the winning score to be very high because the range and lighting were very good.  I knew I had enough time left and just needed to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid and it worked out really well.
TPP: IOC President Jacque Rogge called Matt an exemplary Olympian for showing so much dignity after losing a medal on the final shot in the 50-meter event. Can you talk about the disappointment in his missing gold again?
KE: For me, as his wife, the gold medal wasn’t important. I don’t think you need medals to show people what you did. If you are a great athlete, people just know who is the best. I really don’t think it’s a big deal. He still ended up fourth. That’s sport. Sometimes you see stuff that’s nearly unbelievable. But that is part of the game.
TPP: How would you say your life has changed over the past few months since winning that Olympic Gold Medal in Beijing?
KE: It’s exactly what I expected, maybe a little more. All the important stuff is still the same. Of course, all this media [attention] is somewhat new, but it will slow down. I’m not worried about that.
TPP: What are your future plans? Will you spend much more time back in Colorado Springs near the U.S. Olympic Training Center and how much time here in the Czech Republic?
KE: Well, for now, it’s half and half. But in the future, I think it will be more time in the U.S. because we will probably raise our kids there. We’ll see how often we are able to take them here, but we plan on coming back for training camps and matches. Of course, if matches are in Europe, it’s pointless for us to travel back and forth. We will see.
TPP: What are your plans and goals for defending your Olympic Gold Medal in London 2012?
KE: I’ll be fighting. I think I’ll be surprised if it goes that well again, seriously. I think it was something that was incredibly high and I don’t think I can beat it anymore. But, I will do my best to give myself the best chance again and that is all I can ask for.
Brian Pinelli can be reached at features@praguepost.com


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