From the National Shooting Sports Foundation:
Kim Rhode of Team Winchester and one of the most decorated U.S. Olympic athletes and a lifelong ambassador for the shooting sports, received the NSSF Ken Sedlecky Lifetime Achievement Award—the highest honor presented by NSSF, The Firearm Industry Trade Association.
Rhode was recognized as the recipient of the award at the NSSF Members Meeting during the firearm industry's annual trade show, the SHOT Show.
"I'm honored to accept the Ken Sedlecky Lifetime Achievement Award from NSSF," said Rhode. "This award represents so many of the ideals I try to uphold, such as celebrating the shooting sports, teaching youth and adults to enjoy our sports safely and responsibly and making the most of one's abilities. In addition to my appreciation for this recognition, I want to thank NSSF for its many programs that help grow participation in the shooting sports and hunting. Some of these programs have helped develop new generations of Olympic medal winners for the United States."
The NSSF Ken Sedlecky Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves by their long-term commitment to the success of the industry and by their support of NSSF's mission to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports.
"Kim has an unmatched legacy in competitive shooting and is one of the most genuine ambassadors of the shooting sports," said Brett Flaugher, President of Winchester Ammunition. "Winchester has been with Kim since the beginning of her shooting career, and we are proud to see her honored with the NSSF Ken Sedleckey Lifetime Achievement Award. It is well earned."
Rhode stepped onto the Olympic medal podium for the first time at age 17, winning the gold medal in double trap at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. That achievement sparked an extraordinary run of success. Over three decades, Rhode would compete in six consecutive Olympic Games, earning six medals—three gold, one silver and two bronze. Rhode became the first American athlete in any individual sport to medal across six Olympics, and she remains the only American athlete to have competed at the Olympic level in all three shotgun disciplines: international double trap, international skeet and bunker trap.
After the Olympics eliminated the double trap competition, Rhode, undeterred, transitioned to skeet shooting and won additional medals, including a gold at the 2012 London Games where her performance equaled the world record. On top of her Olympic shooting success, Rhode has captured 15 U.S. National Championships and more than 50 international medals earned across five continents, including World Cups, World Championships, World Cup Finals and Pan American Games.
Away from competition, Rhode's contributions to recreational shooting, with emphasis on helping youth and women get started, are extensive. She serves as a Vice President of the International Shooting Sport Federation, is a board member of USA Shooting and sits on the Executive Board of the Kids & Clays Foundation, a shooting-based philanthropic organization that has raised millions of dollars to support families with seriously ill children. She has been a firearm safety advocate, notably in collaboration with NSSF's Project ChildSafe program.
