Feature: Katerina Emmons -- Shooting Golden Girl(shooting gold medals )

Updated: 2008-08-09 21:07:28

Golden girl Emmons takes aim (Photo credit: Chen Gong)

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You could say that shooting is in the blood for Katerina Emmons, the first gold medallist of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Not only is the winner of the Women's 10 meter Air Rifle the daughter of two-time world champion Petr Kurka, who doubles as her coach, she is also married to Athens shooting gold medallist, Matt Emmons.

In fact, the 24-year-old Czech Republic sharp-shooter met her husband-to-be at Athens four years ago, when, competing under her maiden name Katerina Kurkova, she won a bronze medal and Matt, representing USA, took the Men's 50m Rifle Prone gold (a title he will defend in Beijing on August 15).

Katerina, now ranked No. 4 in the world, described Matt as her "best teammate" after clinching her first Olympic gold medal with an Olympic Record 503.5 points, which included a perfect score of 400 points in the qualifying round. As a pair, they "work together as the best team in the world," she added.

They are considered to be shooting's 'golden couple,' although their Athens meeting was more than your average chance encounter between fellow competitors.

Instead, it came about under far stranger circumstances. After finishing her own events, Katerina worked as a shooting commentator for a Czech TV station.

One of her duties was to report on the Men's 50m Rifle Three Position, an event future hubby Matt was winning with ease going into the final round. Then, mysteriously and somewhat unusually, the stuff of nightmares happened.

Matt fired at the wrong target, lost his lead and missed out on the medals, finishing eighth.

Feeling sorry for him, as one shooter to another, Katerina sought Matt afterwards and found him seeking solace in a nearby beer garden. A conversation struck up and a relationship started -- albeit arranged around the world's major shooting tournaments -- their second meeting, for example, was in Bangkok.

They married in 2007 and have split their time traveling between the U.S. and the Czech Republic.

Shooting, though, wasn't Katerina's original sporting love. Growing up in Plzeň, the fourth biggest city in the Czech Republic, she competed as a swimmer until an illness ended a fledgling career.

To stave off boredom, her champion-shot father -- who, unlike many sports-mad dads, hadn't pushed his daughter toward his own chosen sport -- suggested she try rifle shooting, which Katerina soon discovered she could excel at.

What started as fun and occasional practice soon became serious sport. Her first major international medal came in 2002 when she won the World Championships at the tender age of 18.

The bronze medal she won in the Women's 10m Air Rifle at Athens followed two years later, and although she failed to do better than 27th in the Women's Three Position Rifle competition, she managed to progress in her main event, taking a silver medal in the 2006 World Championships and claiming European Championship gold in 2007.

Having won the Good Luck Beijing International Sports Shooting Federation (ISSF) World Cup earlier this year, when she matched Chinese champion and World No. 2 Du Li's 2003 World Record score of 504.9 points, Emmons came to Beijing with high hopes.

Proud first gold medallist of Beijing 2008 (Photo credit: Chen Gong)

Not that she crumbled under the weight of expectation. "I dealt with the pressure," Katerina told reporters after her victory. "The only way is just not to think about it. Just pull the trigger and shoot."

She is not sure whether or not she will eventually change her nationality and compete for the USA. "I will leave the door open. If I can, I'd like to shoot for the Czech Republic for as long as possible."

Indeed, Katerina's own Beijing Olympic odyssey is not yet over -- she could become a double Games medallist as she is due to compete in the Women's 50m Rifle Three Position competition on August 14, although it isn't her strongest event.

Then, there is also her dual role supporting Matt, who also has a double Olympic quest. "Half of my job is done and I've done it well. Matt is now going to do his job," she said.

With one medal in the bag, a glut of shooting gold medals could be heading back to the Emmons household from Beijing.

A kiss from hubby Matt (Photo credit: Chen Gong)