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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Keller native Austen Jewell Smith proudly |
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represented her nation by winning a bronze medal in the women's |
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skeet shooting event and a silver medal in the skeet mixed team |
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event at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris in August 2024; and |
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WHEREAS, Competing at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, Ms. |
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Smith opened the women's skeet shooting event by hitting 122 out of |
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125 shots in the qualifying round, and she subsequently won a |
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14-point shoot-off against Great Britain's Amber Rutter and |
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Greece's Emmanouela Katzouraki to advance to the finals in first |
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place; during the final round on August 4, she claimed the bronze |
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medal with a tally of 45 out of 50 shots; and |
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WHEREAS, The following day, Ms. Smith won her second career |
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Olympic medal by securing second place in the skeet mixed team event |
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alongside her partner and personal coach, Vincent Hancock; the pair |
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turned in an exceptional performance, hitting 148 out of 150 shots |
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during the qualifying round, and they ultimately clinched the |
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silver medal with a combined effort of 44 out of 48 shots in the |
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final match, finishing just one point behind Italy; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Smith's success in Paris follows her Olympic |
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debut in 2021 at the Tokyo Games, where she finished 10th in women's |
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skeet and was the youngest member of the USA shooting team at age |
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18; she began taking part in shooting sports during her youth and |
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has won numerous international medals, including gold medals at the |
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2024 World Cup and the 2023 World Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan, |
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and a gold medal at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany, in |
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2019; she is currently studying aerospace engineering at The |
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University of Texas at Arlington; and |
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WHEREAS, Through her skill, determination, and commitment to |
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excellence, Austen Smith has ably represented the United States at |
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the world's premier athletic competition, and she is indeed |
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deserving of recognition for her inspiring achievements; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature |
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hereby congratulate Austen Jewell Smith on winning two medals in |
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skeet shooting at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and extend to her |
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sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Ms. Smith as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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Senate. |