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Opinion

Who is North Texas’ first gold medalist?

Don’t know Vincent Hancock’s name? Let’s change that now

Vincent Hancock’s name isn’t often in lights like those of other Olympians, but he’s a shooting sports champion who deserves more attention.

Hancock, 32 and Fort Worth’s own, is already one of the most decorated shooters in the history of skeet shooting. After his performance in Tokyo, Hancock has added another gold medal to his pile of hardware and became the first person from North Texas to win gold this year.

We’re always ecstatic to see locals win in the Olympics, and Hancock is no exception. But his story is truly what has us floored.

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Hancock has spent over half of his life in the sport, winning his first gold in the World Championships at only 16. Not long after that, he joined the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, which has represented the U.S. at every Summer Olympics since 1960.

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While in the Army, Hancock won gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics.

In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Hancock surprisingly placed 15th. And the delay of the Tokyo Olympics was just another mental block. As Hancock told KXAS-TV (NBC5), “As soon as we found out [they were delayed] I tried going to the range. I was able to practice for about 20 minutes. I think it was one box of shells, and I just looked at some of the others and said, ‘I can’t do this.’” He then took a nine-month break from the sport.

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But determined to come back, he reloaded and thirsted for the gold. And he won it! This makes him the only man to win three gold medals in Olympic skeet shooting.

His grit and determination got him to the podium, and we’re proud to see one of our own reach great heights again.