Penny Smith Wins Bronze and Thanks Family with Tears of Joy

Penny Smith, a 29-year-old sports shooter from Geelong, couldn’t hold back her tears as she celebrated her bronze medal win at the Olympic Games. The competition took place in Paris, where she scored an impressive 32 out of 40 shots.

After the medal ceremony, Smith expressed her emotions during an interview with Nine‘s Annabelle Williams. ‘Absolutely phenomenal, pretty emotional about it,’ she said, overwhelmed by the moment.

Smith took a moment to thank her family who supported her throughout her journey. ‘To come away with a bronze medal is phenomenal,’ she shared. She highlighted her hometown, Camperdown, by saying, ‘We’ve added another one to the Camperdown tally.’

Feeling grateful, she acknowledged her brother Andrew, saying, ‘If it wasn’t for my brother Andrew, I wouldn’t be shooting today.’ She continued in her heartfelt message, thanking her parents and partner Callum, stating, ‘It means a lot. So love you all back home.’

During her performance, Smith showed great composure and confidence. However, she did have some moments of struggle, missing a few consecutive shots, which prevented her from clinching the silver medal.

The event took place at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Déols, where the world’s top women’s trap shooters competed. After reaching the halfway mark with a score of 20 out of 25, Smith was in a competitive race alongside Silvana Stanco from Italy and Guatemala‘s Adriana Ruano Oliva.

In the end, she secured the bronze after being eliminated at the 40-shot mark. Stanco finished with a score of 40 out of 50, while Ruano Oliva set a new Olympic record with a score of 45 out of 50, taking home the gold medal.

This was a remarkable moment for Smith, as she represented her country and made her family proud.