The 2012 Summer Olympics in London proved fruitful for Alaska's small contingent. Three of the athletes who either grew up in Alaska or attended college in the 49th state won medals. The dynastic rifle program at UAF produced two of them.
Former UAF shooter Matt Emmons bounced back from a 35th place finish in the men's 10 meter air gun to capture a bronze medal in the three position competition, where shooters fire standing, kneeling, and prone. Emmons has now been to three Olympics and has won a medal of each color.
Emmons' former college teammate Jamie Gray finished fifth in the 10 meter air gun but then fired an Olympic record score in the women's three position to secure her first career gold medal.
And in track and field, Eielson High School graduate Janay DeLoach won a bronze medal in the women's long jump with a final leap of 22 feet, 7 and a quarter inches. The Alaska state record holder in the long jump won her medal by just a centimeter over the fourth place finisher.
