LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A member of the University of Kentucky air rifle team hopes to strike Olympic gold when she heads to Tokyo his summer.
In an effort to make friends, Mary Tucker joined her air rifle team as a freshman in high school. Now, the Florida native has friends from many countries after 10 World Cup appearances.
Tucker became so good, so fast, that during her junior year in high school, University of Kentucky coaches made their move. She didn't even know colleges had air rifle teams, and now she was getting a scholarship offer.
Tucker grew up riding horses and wanted to study equine science, so she became a Wildcat. And in her freshman year in Lexington, she also became an Olympian. Tucker won the USA Olympic Trials in air rifle, and she might make the team in small bore once that competition wraps up in early March.
It was the winter of her senior year in high school when she knew she could shoot for the stars.
"I won a match, and I was just kind of like, 'I should go for the Olympics. I should try that,'" she said. "And it worked."
Mary Tucker
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker grew up riding horses and wanted to study equine science, so she became a Wildcat.
Mary Tucker grew up riding horses and wanted to study equine science, so she became a Wildcat.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker grew up riding horses and wanted to study equine science, so she became a Wildcat.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
Mary Tucker grew up riding horses and wanted to study equine science, so she became a Wildcat.
Mary Tucker grew up riding horses and wanted to study equine science, so she became a Wildcat.
All that time at the shooting range with her dad as a youngster gave her the foundation. She shot .22 rifles, handguns and shotguns, but she realized air rifle was her strength, and she has helped UK to the No. 1 ranking in the nation.
Tucker doesn't follow all the rules. She eats donuts right before she shoots, when sugar is considered taboo. She can be found playing along to songs like "YMCA" when she enters the competitive arena.
"I was holding my gun and doing 'YMCA,' and everybody's kind of like, 'What is she doing?,'" Tucker said. "Because everybody else is kind of focused to have to do good, but I don't really do that, because it really stresses me out."
But her coach said don't let the antics fool you.
"Between nutrition, sports psychology, the physical conditioning, the academic support, the availability to train, the coaches — you know, all those things — she sucks it up like a sponge," said Harry Mullins, who has coached UK to a pair of national titles.
Her training before coming to Lexington consisted of more than her high school team.
Mary Tucker, a University of Kentucky air rifle star, will go for Olympic gold.
"I taught myself to shoot precision in my garage, and I've just kind of been running with that ever since," Tucker said. "I YouTubed a lot."
Now she will have to squeeze in her college studies with a busy pre-Olympic schedule. The NCAA National Championships come up on March 13 and 14 at UK’s Memorial Coliseum. Then she will be off to Peru, Germany and South Korea to get ready for the gold medal challenge in Tokyo.
Tucker said the only thing that could stress her out would be knowing if her parents will travel to Japan to watch her. So they aren't saying if they will be there.
And Tucker still can't believe she's going for the gold.
"I still don't really believe it," she said. "It definitely hasn't set in. I don't think it will set in until I get there."
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