Amber Rutter wins silver for newborn son in women's skeet
Most new mothers are enjoying maternity leave and spending time recovering from childbirth - Amber Rutter did not have such luxury.
The Briton gave birth to her son Tommy in the spring and one month afterwards, was back on the range practising, determined to make amends for previous misfortunes and achieve success at the Olympic Games.
Rutter was a contender heading into the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but was unable to compete when she returned a positive COVID-19 test.
The heartbreak of that moment fuelled her motivation this time around. Accompanied by Tommy on the range, she worked hard and was supported well by her husband and family.
In Chateauroux, Rutter lost a shoot-off to Francisca Crovetto of Chile for the gold medal, however the achievement of winning an Olympic medal just three months after childbirth became a story that resonated with so many around the world.
Serbia mixed 10m air pistol victory sends Arunovic and Mikec into a frenzy
Everyone has imagined a scenario of them winning in their respective sport, almost like something out of a sports film. Usually looking triumphant, cool, handsome, poised and a little demure.
But that's what happens in the movies, and it's much more enjoyable to see raw emotion show itself, quite like it did for Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec of Serbia after they defeated Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec of Turkiye in the mixed 10m air pistol final with a winner-takes-all final shot.
They had a massive hug before tumbling to the floor together still embracing. Both a funny moment and an emotional one too. Known for her big personality, Arunovic in particular, did not hold anything back - from roaring down the camera with her arms in the arm to a few tears shed.
"Can it really get better than that?" said Arunovic in an interview with ISSF, speaking of the celebration on the Olympic stage.
"It really was a true expression of emotions, especially after a final like this," said Mikec.
"I didn't even see what I shot, I just looked at the screen to see if the 16 would be up or down," added Arunovic, recalling the score being tied at 14-14.
"And when we saw it was down for us, that was it," said Mikec.
Ruano becomes national hero in Guatemala with first-ever Olympic gold medal
The sliding doors moment of Adriana Ruano's gymnastics career led to one of Guatemala's greatest, if not the greatest, sporting memories in the Central American nation's history.
Unable to continue her career in the gymnasium due to injury, Ruano was inspired to take shooting seriously while volunteering at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
And inspirational perhaps played its part at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games too. Ruano qualified for the women's trap final and later that day her teammate Jean Pierre Brol would take a bronze medal in the men's trap, making him the second-ever Olympic medallist from Guatemala and the first in shooting sport.
Expecting great challenges from the likes of Spanish shooting great Fatima Galvez and her up-and-coming compatriot Mar Molne Magrina, Ruano took an early lead and soon held a comfortable and unexpected cushion over her rivals.
Before she went down to the final round with Italy's Silvana Stanco, she was already five shots ahead and only had to hit one to become the Olympic champion. She would strike three and leave Chateauroux with a historic gold medal and a new Olympic record.
The master leads the student in a men's skeet American one-two
Few are fortunate enough to learn from the very best and even fewer are fortunate to compete alongside them. Vincent Hancock is undisputedly the best skeet shooter in recent memory and has been sharing his experiences and skills with Conner Prince for the past four years, with the pair based out of Northlake, Texas in the United States.
Hancock noticed Prince's skill while he was still a junior and took it upon himself to coach him. The investment paid off, and nearly too well in the end. With the remaining four all tied after two series, Prince took the lead by one over his coach, but then Hancock brought it back level heading into the final series.
While the underdog story would not prevail, it was still one with a lot of heart. The pair had always manifested finishing first and second at the Olympic Games and they achieved that. Hancock missed just twice from 60 shots and Prince just thrice.
The fourth gold medal also made Hancock the first shooting sport athlete to win four Olympic titles in the same event and one of seven athletes to achieve the feat across all Olympic sports in one event.
"That’s pretty special for me because I love the Olympics," said Hancock to Stars and Stripes.
"Knowing that I’ve been able to do what I’ve done in this sport and be able to get four and be able to have my name in the same echelon as theirs, that’s special to me."
Salukvadze makes history with Paris 2024 appearance
Nino Salukvadze's career is like a tale through history.
She won gold and silver medals for the Soviet Union at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games, watched the collapse of the USSR, before being part of the Unified Team at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games and then went on to represent the independent nation of Georgia from Atlanta 1996 onwards.
The Beijing 2008 bronze medallist has never missed a Summer Games since her debut in 1988 and continued in 2024 - making it her 10th Olympic appearance.
This now makes her the first female athlete to reach 10 Olympic Games, and the only athlete to compete in 10 consecutively. Only Canadian showjumper Ian Millar has matched her 10 appearances. If she continues to Los Angeles in 2028, she will be the first ever to compete in 11 Games.