Rio 2016: Ginny Thrasher talks gun laws after gold medal win
By Matt Couden
At the Rio 2016 Olympics, teenager Ginny Thrasher won the United States’ first gold medal, then spoke about gun control in America.
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Ginny Thrasher won the first gold at the Rio Olympics for the United States and then spoke about gun laws after the victory. The 19-year-old was able to pull off an upset on Saturday, defeating two Chinese competitors to win the gold. Thrasher ended up with an Olympic record of 208.0 in the 10-meter air rifle event. After her win, she spoke about how gun control is affecting her sport of choice.
According to KSDK 5, Thrasher told the media post-win, “Some of the (controversy surrounding) gun laws in America is just distracting from our sport, which is very different.” The topic had previously been touched upon as it impacted Thrasher’s teammate, Kim Rhode. The six-time Olympian had to go through extensive background checks in the state of California just to buy ammunition for practice.
Thrasher would add that she “just tried to focus on the competition,” rather than worrying about the constant attachment of gun law discussions to her sport. She would also note that her experience with shooting began early, saying “When I was in eighth grade my grandfather took me hunting,” she said. “I went and got my first deer and I liked the adrenaline.” That early training seems to have paid off.
It’s also good to see that Thrasher didn’t let the controversy of gun control discussions and the laws in the United States impact her training or focus, as she put the U.S. on the board with that first gold medal of the Rio 2016 Summer Games.
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