Emmons loses gold medal after aiming at wrong target!
2004 Washington Post: Matt Emmons of the United States shoots at wrong target, finishes eighth. (Douglas C. Pizac -- AP)
Matthew Emmons is an elite athlete ! He was an accounting major from Browns Mill, New Jersey. He was a four-year member of the University of Alaska rifle team.
In the 2004 Olympic Games, with one bullet left to shoot, all Emmons needed was a score of 7.2 to win the gold medal. He took careful aim, fired and successfully hit the bull's eye. However, Emmons' aimed at the wrong target. Standing in lane two, he fired at the target in lane three — known as a crossfire (a rare mistake) — resulting in a score of zero. his opportunity to win Gold was squandered. Emmons later explained that he was just too focused on staying calm.
It doesn't matter how accurate you are if you are aiming at the wrong target.