BEIJING — The reigning gold medalist walked off the victory stand, a silver clenched in his shooting hand. Matt Emmons glanced down at his prize and nodded assuredly. A medal is a medal, Emmons decided, especially after a wild day in Beijing, in which the elements – and a sharpshooting opponent – made medaling a challenge.
The shooter Emmons, who spends much of his training time in Colorado Springs, won silver in the 50 meter rifle prone competition today, scoring a 104.7 total, 1.0 points less than the golden shooter Artur Ayvazian of the Ukraine.
“As far as the work, that is bar none, probably the best one I’ve ever had,” Emmons said of his performance. “Today the wind was as hard as you’re ever going to see it — it was switching back and forth.”
In the outdoor qualification round on Friday morning here, Emmons finished second of 75 competitors, totaling with 597 points out of 600. But Ayvazian shot 599, giving him a two-point lead heading into the indoor final round of 10 shots.
“When you’re walking into a final that’s indoors, that’s a lot ground to make up,” Emmons said. “I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but it’s very difficult. I just couldn’t catch him.
“Any time you win a medal in the Olympics, you’ve got to be happy. I’ll take whatever.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
