Email   Print   Share By Michael Molinaro, U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit

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Jamie Gray, wife of U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Soldier Staff Sgt. Hank Gray, goes through her pre-shot routine during the qualification round of her event, 10-meter air rifle, Saturday at the Royal Artillery Barracks in east London. Gray finished in fifth place after making the final in her second consecutive Olympics. Michael Molinaro, USAMU Public Affairs

LONDON - In front of an enthusiastic crowd eager to witness presentation of the first medals of the London Olympic Games, Jamie Gray, wife of a U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Soldier, competed in women’s 10-meter air rifle Saturday at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

Gray, a two-time Olympian, finished fifth after making the final in the event for her second consecutive Olympics. She shot a qualification score of 397, followed with a final round of 102.7 for an overall score of 499.7, a little more than three points behind China’s Siling Yi, who prevailed with 502.9 points.

Sylwia Bogacka of Poland won the silver medal with 502.2 points, and was followed by bronze medalist Dan Yu of China with 501.5.

“Personally, I think I shot 39 great shots,” said Gray, who finished fourth in air rifle at the Beijing Games.

The day was a roller coaster of sorts for Gray, who is married to Army Staff Sgt. Hank Gray. After an equipment problem had her scurrying for tools and a quick fix, she started with a perfect 100 before shooting a 99 and a 98. Two of the three dropped shots were 9.9s, meaning she missed two more 10s by mere millimeters.

On the outside looking in with 10 shots to go, Gray nailed all 10 in the center ring, putting her into a five-woman shoot-off for the four remaining spots in the eight-person finale.

Among those in the shoot-off were U.S. teammate Sarah Scherer and good friend Katerina Emmons, the 2008 Beijing gold medalist in the event, who hails from the Czech Republic. All three women made the final.

“Of course, I was pulling for all three of us to make it,” Gray said.

Heading into the final, Gray, a native of Lebanon, Pa., was in sixth place, but only one point out of medal contention. However, after the first three shots, she found herself in eighth place along with an old back problem that started to flare up. She clawed back into contention with a solid string of shots, but time ran out on her quest for a medal.

“She’s always been a fighter,” said Maj. Dave Johnson, the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program and USA Shooting rifle coach. “We’ve had her on the team since she was 16. She exhibited that toughness back then and still does.”

The mission now for Gray and the coaches is to move on and refocus her attention to her next event, women’s three-position rifle. Gray will have to wait until Saturday before getting another chance at a medal, which is a blessing in disguise, she said, because of her recurring back pain.

“It’s great to have a break and try to get that under control,” Gray said.

Gray just missed a medal in three events during her Olympic career, and despite a bad back and equipment issues, her coach said there is no doubt

that she will be game-ready for her next event.

“I expect her to make another final,” Johnson said, “and we’ll see what happens.”