Paris Olympics 2024: Penny Smith secures bronze for Australia in ...
Penny Smith has thanked her family through tears after adding to Australia's medal tally.
The 29-year-old Geelong-born sports shooter, who was a gold medal fancy in the lead-up to her competition, walked away with bronze after putting together an excellent score of 32 from 40 shots in the women's trap final.
"Absolutely phenomenal, pretty emotional about it," Smith told Nine's Annabelle Williams after accepting her medal on the podium.
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"[Thank you] to my family back home, everyone watching who has supported me through the highs and lows. To come away with a bronze medal is phenomenal," Smith continued.
"... We've added another one to the Camperdown tally. [Cyclist] Grace Brown won one the other day, two medals coming back to Camperdown is phenomenal."
Smith then shouted out her family, noting, "If it wasn't for my brother Andrew, I wouldn't be shooting today."
"[Thank you to] my mum, my dad, Andrew, Georgie, my partner Callum. Everyone back home, it's kudos to them and everyone that's stuck by me all the way and, you know, believed in me. It means a lot. So love you all back home."
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Smith was "calm, calculated and very confident" as she steadily shot 32/40 but may rue her habit of missing consecutive shots after at one point in the final looking a strong chance at silver.
She waved to an adoring crowd as she walked away after being eliminated from the final at Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Déols with 10 shots remaining.
In an absorbing contest, one by one, the best women's trap shooters in the world were picked off until only three remained – Smith, Italy's Silvana Stanco and Guatemala's Adriana Ruano Oliva.
At the halfway mark, Smith progressed with a score of 20/25.
What followed was a neck-and-neck race between Smith and Stanco, who both trailed Ruano Oliva throughout.
Ultimately, Smith walked away with a bronze after being eliminated at the 40-shot mark, missing eight in total for a final score of 32/40.
Stanco was next on the chopping block, scoring a final points total of 40/50, with Ruano Oliva setting a new Olympic record of 45/50 and taking out gold while doing so.
The previous Olympic record was held by Slovakia's Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková, who set it at Tokyo 2020 with 43/50 shots.
In Paris, Rehák-Štefečeková walked away at 12th place, and her record was bested.
The world record of 48/50, meanwhile, is currently held by America's Ashley Carroll.
