Reviewed by: Pat Byington
Troy alum joins elite group with fourth Olympic gold medal
Reading time: 3 minutes
Carl Lewis. Michael Phelps. Katie Ledecky. Al Oerter.
And now, Vincent Hancock.
That’s the list of American athletes to win gold in the same event at four different Olympics. Hancock, a Troy graduate, secured his fourth title by winning the men’s skeet shooting competition in Paris.
Keep reading to find out more about his performance in the 2024 Games + what he has to say about potentially going for a fifth gold medal in Los Angeles.
Gold + Silver in Paris
Vincent Hancock may have entered the competition as the favorite to win another gold but after the qualifying round, he sat in fourth place. But in the finals, he kept surviving the one-by-one elimination format before setting up a gold-medal matchup with fellow American Conner Prince.
Hancock hit 58 of 60 shots including his final 26 targets to outlast Prince, who Hancock coaches.
“That’ll never get tiring. For me it’s something that I work for for four years. At this point, it just seems to be the luck of the draw for me. I do the best that I can and just hope and pray for the best.”
~ Vincent Hancock, via Associated Press
After claiming the individual gold, Hancock returned to compete in the mixed team skeet shooting competition with teammate Austen Smith, another student of his.
The pair made it all the way to the gold medal match before falling to Italy, 45-44. They still secured the silver medal in the competition as Hancock claimed a silver medal for the first time in his Olympics career.
Vincent Hancock
It hasn’t been just about the Olympics for Hancock. He won his first World Championship in skeet shooting at the age of 16 before claiming his first gold in the event in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics.
Hancock’s career has included:
- 4 Olympic golds
- 6 World Championships
- 3 Pan American golds
- 1 World Cup gold
And between all of that, Hancock graduated from Troy University with a degree in business management in 2015, after winning his first two Olympic gold medals.
As for the rest of his career, Hancock is hoping for one more gold when he attempts to qualify for the 2028 Olympics right here in the U.S.
“I’m definitely intending on going through LA 2028. That will probably be my last one. I considered this one being my last, but the opportunity to represent the U.S. on U.S. soil in LA is just too good to turn it down.”
~ Vincent Hancock, via Associated Press
Make sure to check out some of Alabama’s other ties to the 2024 Olympics:
- Mobile native Paige Madden adds to her Olympic medal count in Paris
- Former Auburn star Suni Lee earns Olympic bronze in all-around final
- Tide, Tigers sending 26 current + former athletes to 2024 Olympics
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