Kim Rhode has shot at history but she puts her team first
NEWHALL, Calif. — As Kim Rhode prepares to compete in her sixth Olympic Games, she stresses her journey to Rio isn’t about personal accolades, it is more about the U.S. Olympic shooting team and bringing home medals for her country.
“It’s not just about me; it’s about the team. … I won’t be able to do this forever,” Rhode said with a chuckle this spring at the shooting range at Oak Tree Gun Club.
She did note, however, that Oscar Swahn of Sweden won an Olympic silver medal in shooting at the age of 72, almost a century ago.
Rhode is the first U.S. Olympian to win medals at five consecutive Games in an individual sport. If she wins another medal in Rio, she’ll set another record by becoming the first Summer Olympic athlete to win medals in six consecutive Games. In the Winter Olympics, Italian luger Armin Zoeggler has gone six-for-six.
At 37, Rhode’s journey to Rio has been significantly more difficult than qualifying for previous Games. After having her son, Carter, in May of 2013, she has struggled with health issues. She suffered nerve damage and she said her bones didn’t align properly after her pregnancy. The health problems made it hard to walk, let alone train as she was accustomed to doing.
“One of the big things that I had was endurance,” said Rhode, who won gold in women's skeet in London. “I went from being bedridden and not being able to walk too well and having a handicap placard to trying to build back my endurance again. Prior to me having my son I was averaging anywhere from 800 to 1000 rounds a day. Now to the max is about 700 a day. That in itself is a huge difference.”
Shortly after giving birth to her son, she was only able to shoot about 200 rounds a day.
She qualified for the Olympic team in May by shooting well at the second stage of trials, locking up her spot in Rio before the final. She joins Morgan Craft, a world champion who's 23, on the women’s skeet team.
Craft says Rhode has been a role model. “Watching her, and her composure and her respect for the game. And even when she doesn’t win every time, how she handles that. I learn a lot from that. It’s not about winning every time; it's about learning from each and every experience. I think she shows that very well.”
Rhode qualified for the Atlanta Games at age 16, winning gold in double trap a few days after her 17th birthday. Her father Richard, who was also her coach growing up, remembers his wife Sharon accompanying their daughter to the Olympic Training Center because Kim was so young. She started shooting at age 10.
Despite the health challenges she has faced the last 2 ½ years, Rhode has maintained confidence and a positive attitude. “In the scheme of things, I wouldn’t change it for anything,” she said. “My son has been such a blessing.”
And whatever happens in Rio, Rhode doesn’t sound like she’ll walk away from the sport any time soon.
“I have a few years left in me,” she said. “I’m not looking to retire anytime soon. I'd also like to show my son that if you have a goal or a dream that you can achieve it with hard work and determination. Being able to let him see mom work every day at something and go to the Olympics and watch that, I think hopefully will change his life and his perspective.”