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Margaret Murdock

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Margaret Murdock
Personal information
Birth nameMargaret L. Thompson
Born (1942-08-25) August 25, 1942 (age 82)
Topeka, Kansas USA
Sport
CountryUSA
SportShooting
University teamKansas State University
RetiredAt age 35[1]
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals1976 Montreal
Medal record
Women's Shooting
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1976 Montreal 50 m Rifle – Three Positions

Margaret Thompson Murdock (born August 25, 1942) is a nurse and former United States Army officer most widely known for her success in international shooting competitions, including a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Murdock is the first woman to win a medal in Shooting at the Summer Olympics and the first to win an individual open World Shooting Championship.[1] In international competition Murdock set four individual world records and nine team world records.[1] She is a member of five halls of fame, including the USA Shooting Hall of Fame and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.[1]

Early years

My first year at K-State, I couldn't shoot on the team because I was a female. I could practice with the K-State team but I couldn't be on the team. They got a new coach and he thought it would be a good idea for me to be on the team since I was shooting better than everyone else.

— Murdock, reminiscing in 2011[1]

Margaret L. Thompson was born August 25, 1942 in Topeka, Kansas.[2] While growing up during the 1950s, she learned how to shoot by following her father to the rifle range.[1]

She graduated from Hayden High School,[1] then attended Kansas State University, where she competed on the men's rifle team[3] winning two Big Eight Conference championships and became the university's first female student to earn a varsity letter.[1] The team practiced with 5th Army Rifle Team at Fort Riley, which led to a four-year stint in the U.S. Army, where she was assigned as a shooting instructor at Fort Benning, eventually achieving the rank of major.[1]

Competitions

Murdock was the 1966 World Champion in Women's Standard Rifle.[4]

Murdock narrowly missed qualifying for the 1968 games in Mexico City.[1] She became the first woman ever on the U.S. Olympic shooting team (in 1976) and the first woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympic Games.[3] She won a silver medal that year, after tying with Lanny Bassham, the U.S. team captain.[3] Olympic rules forbade a shoot-off, which Bassham had requested.[3] During the national anthem, Bassham pulled Murdock up to stand with him on the gold medal spot at the podium.[3] In 1992 she was named to the U.S. International Shooting Hall of Fame.[3]

Post-competition career

Murdock retired from competitive shooting at age 35,[1] becoming a registered nurse, specializing in anesthesia.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "No. 5: Murdock didn't miss upon getting her shot". The Topeka Capital-Journal. August 26, 2011. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  2. ^ a b "Murdock, Margaret L. (Thompson)". Sports Biographies. HickokSports.com. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Thomas, Nolan (June 18, 2010). "20 Inspirational Female Athletes Who Won In a "Man's Sport"". SportsManagementDegree.org. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  4. ^ "U.S. Markswoman Wins Silver, Nearly the Gold". Los Angeles Times. July 22, 1976. p. D8. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
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