Paris Olympics Day 3, Top Pic: British Shooter Nathan Hales Wins Men's Trap Gold

Hales smashed clay targets and an Olympic record as he scored 48 out of 50 hits in the final

Updated on: 31 July 2024 12:08 am

Nathan Hales, Mens Trap Shooting, Paris Olympics 2024, AP Photo

A target is shattered by a shot from Britain's Nathan Hales in the Trap men's final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Chateauroux, France. Hales went on to win the gold medal. Photo: AP/Manish Swarup

Today's top picture comes from Men's Trap final event wherein British shooter Nathan Hales kept his cool in the French heat to take Olympic gold as Guatemala won only the second medal in its history with bronze.(Full Olympics Coverage | More Sports News)

Hales smashed clay targets and an Olympic record as he scored 48 out of 50 hits in the final. That’s five more than the previous Olympic best and one short of his own world record.

Speaking after his victory, Hales said, "It’s been an amazing experience, just absolutely unreal. I’m very emotional."

Hales had been neck-and-neck with China’s Qi Ying, but Qi had to settle for silver after he missed four of his last 17 shots for a total of 44. Hales finished on a streak of 18 hits in a row.

Jean Pierre Brol, the oldest shooter in the final at the age of 41, won the bronze for Guatemala’s first medal since race walker Erick Barrondo’s silver at the 2012 London Olympics.

(With AP inputs)