Olympian Rhode to be Honored Sunday

Shooting star Kim Rhode, who trained at Redlands Shooting Park before she won gold at the London 2012 Olympics, will be honored Sunday Aug. 19 in a ceremony in Monrovia.

"The City of Monrovia is pleased to honor the accomplishments of Monrovia resident and Olympic gold medalist, Kim Rhode," a statement on the city website says.

On July 29 in London, Rhode hit 99 of 100 targets during preliminary and final rounds at the Royal Artillery Barracks, and she became the first American athlete to win an individual medal in five straight Olympics.

She gave a that day to her supporters in Redlands during an NBC interview that aired that evening in Southern California.

Redlands Shooting Park is a trap, skeet and sporting clays range on North Orange Street, just south of the Santa Ana River wash.

Rhode, 33, was born in Whittier and raised in El Monte. She has competed over the years in double trap and skeet. She was the youngest member of the U.S. team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where she won gold in double trap. She won a double trap bronze in 2000, double trap gold in 2004, and silver in skeet in 2008. Her gold Sunday was also in skeet.

The Monrovia ceremony is planned at 6:15 p.m. Sunday in Monrovia Library Park at 321 South Myrtle Ave. Rhode plans to be available for photos and autographs after the ceremony, according to a city news release.

Monrovia is about 50 miles west of downtown Redlands, off the 210 Freeway.

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