Shooting Star: Kayle Browning Wins Silver Medal In Women's Trap

At one point in the qualifications, she was holding down seventh place, but shooters from other countries missed to move her up the in the rankings.

“I knew that I needed to bring my best foot forward the second day and I also knew that I needed a little bit of luck to get in,” Browning said “And luckily the cards played out for me and I’m super thankful for that, but I worked hard for it.”

No lucky charm helped her through. “I just try to rely on my skills,” said Browning, who began shooting at age 8.

She edged teammate Madelynn Ann Bernau, who was seventh with 119 hits. 

Meanwhile, Rehak Stefecekova was putting on a clinic on the range. She was perfect at 125 hits for a world and Olympic record for qualifications. A two-time Olympic silver medalist in 2008 and 2012, Rehak Stefecekova missed the 2016 Games after having her first child.

But once the final began later Thursday, the Slovakian was not invincible. She missed four of her first 15 shots, with the first miss coming on her fifth attempt as Seiko Hashimoto, chief of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, looked on.

“She’s always a tough competitor,” said Browning, 29, of Wooster, Arkansas. “I knew that multiple misses wasn’t likely for her. A miss is no big deal. You have to keep going. I knew that she would be tough to beat so I was just trying to focus on my game.”

In target shooting, the clays are orange and they release a puff of pink smoke when they are hit.

“Oh, that’s such a thrilling moment,” Browning said, “especially the pink cloud. Even if you just chip it, it makes you feel like you just smoked it, so it’s a good feeling.”

But when the clay shatters on the ground instead of in the air, she said, “I try to analyze the shot and figure out why I missed, if it was either nerves or something mechanical I did, and try to correct it for the next shot.”

Browning and Rehak Stefecekova each had six misses going into the final 10 shots, which were head-to-head as the other shooters were eliminated.

Browning missed her first and fifth targets, while the Slovakian missed on her her fifth. Both were perfect in the final five, but the American was one short.

She’ll be back in action in the mixed team event with Derrick Scott Mein of Team USA starting on July 31. Mein placed 24th in the men’s trap qualifications with 119 hits and Brian Burrows, who will be paired with Bernau in mixed team, was 12th with 121.

Team USA has now won three shotgun medals in Tokyo, with Amber English and Vincent Hancock winning golds in the skeet events.

While Browning called her silver medal the “pinnacle” of her career, she’s not retiring.

“No, no, just so far,” she said. “Still chasing the gold.”

Want to follow Team USA athletes during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020? Visit TeamUSA.org/Tokyo2020 to view the medal table, results and competition schedule.