Team USA’s Vincent Hancock and Austen Smith captured a silver medal in the Mixed Team Skeet event to close out the shooting events at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday, August 5.
Hancock and Smith hit a total of 44 clays, only one behind their opponents in the gold medal final, Diana Bacosi and Gabriele Rossetti of Italy.
Earlier, China's Jiang Yiting and Lyu Jianlin captured the bronze medal, outdueling India's Maheshwari Chauhan and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka, 44-43.
Hancock and Smith exited Mixed Team Skeet qualification in second place at the Chateauroux Shooting Range earlier on Monday. The Americans hit 148 of 150 clays, one less than Italy's Diana Bacosi and Gabriele Rossetti's 149.
Team USA's other Mixed Team Skeet entry, Dania Vizzi and Conner Prince, placed sixth with their score of 144.
Hancock is not only Austen Smith’s teammate, but also her coach.
“I’m extremely proud, just as a teammate, regardless of the fact that we’ve been shooting together for 10 years now. It’s just a lot of fun to go do this with her,” Hancock said. “She’s one of the best competitors I’ve ever seen come out of this sport, and we’re sitting next to a lot of other good competitors, too. To do this with her was a lot of fun.”
Smith was elated to be awarded with medals on consecutive days at the Olympics, after she secured silver in the Women's Skeet event on Sunday.
“I couldn’t have imagined it. It’s quite a surprise to go back to back,” Smith said. “If you were to ask me yesterday, like Vinny was saying, if I’d like to be up for the finals, I probably would’ve said, ‘No. Please let me sleep in.’ But here I am, and I’m very happy to be here. This gives me more motivation to keep on going.”
