Kim Rhode
An American shooting phenomenon who has medaled at six consecutive Olympic Games, demonstrating a level of sustained excellence unmatched in her sport.
Born 1979 (age 47)·American sport shooter·Birthday: July 16·Generation X
Biography
Kim Rhode's dominance in shotgun sports is a testament to consistency, focus, and an almost preternatural calm. Growing up on a shooting range in El Monte, California, she was a prodigy, winning her first world championship at age 13. Her Olympic journey began in Atlanta in 1996, where she won a gold medal in double trap at just 17, becoming the youngest female gold medalist in shooting history. What followed is her defining legacy: a medal at every single Summer Games for over two decades, through event changes and personal challenges. When women's double trap was removed from the Olympic program, she seamlessly transitioned to skeet, winning gold in London in 2012. Her bronze in Rio in 2016 made her the first American to medal in six consecutive Olympic Games in an individual sport. Rhode competes with a quiet intensity, her success built on countless hours of practice and a mental fortitude that has kept her at the pinnacle of a precision sport for a generation.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Kim was born in 1979, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Kim Was Born
The biggest hits of 1979
#1 Movie
Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Picture
Kramer vs. Kramer
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Kim's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1979Born
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1984Started school
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1992Became a teenager
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Could drive
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1997Could vote
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2000Turned 21
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2009Turned 30
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 40
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 47 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won an Olympic medal at six consecutive Summer Games from 1996 to 2016.
- Captured the Olympic gold medal in women's double trap in 1996 and 2004.
- Won the Olympic gold medal in women's skeet at the 2012 London Games.
- Became the first American to medal in six consecutive Olympic Games in an individual sport.
Did You Know?
She won her first world championship title in double trap in 1995 at the age of 13.
She is an avid collector of pinball machines and vintage cars.
At the 2012 Olympics, she tied the world record by hitting 99 out of 100 targets in the skeet competition.
She is a member of the National Rifle Association's board of directors.
“I'm going for seven. That's the goal.”
