DALLAS — The list is short.
Only four Americans in history have won the Olympic gold medal four times in the same individual event.
Michael Phelps. Carl Lewis. Al Oerter. Katie Ledecky. That's it
On Saturday, North Texas resident Vincent Hancock joined the decorated foursome.
When it comes to men's skeet shooting, Hancock is the highest caliber. The self-proclaimed "Georgia boy" won his first Olympic gold in Beijing 2008, at age 19, while serving in the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit.
"That unit’s goal is to go to the Olympics and win medals," Hancock said. “It was a dream come true.”
Mission accomplished.
Hancock repeated in London 2012 with another gold medal and wore gold again in Tokyo 2020 (games held in 2021 after a delay due to COVID-19).
Now, the 35-year-old husband and father has his historic fourth gold medal in Paris.
The Hancock family moved to Fort Worth in 2014, before later settling in Argyle in Denton County.
"We love it here. Our girls love it here," Hancock explained.
His wife, Rebekah, and two daughters were in Paris pulling for him.
"My daughters are 12 and 13," Hancock said. "They’ve always known what I did, but they haven’t really ever got to experience it on the Olympic level.”
However, one of his fiercest supporters was there in spirit.
Craig Hancock, Vincent’s father, died in November.
A popular shooting coach in Vincent's home state of Georgia, Craig mentored thousands of kids, including his youngest son.
Paris was Vincent's first Olympic games without his dad.
"It’s definitely going to be difficult competing without him," Hancock admitted before the Final. "I hope that he’s up there watching. And I hope [he] enjoys the show.”
Vincent started competitive shooting when he was 10 years old.
"My dad is the one that got me into it,” Hancock noted. “I fell in love with it.”
He became a teenage prodigy – winning a world championship at age 16. A year later, he joined the Army where he served active duty for six years in the Marksmanship Unit.
"The shooting sports have given me everything that I know," Hancock asserted.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist wants to pass the torch.
"We have something really good to offer," Hancock said. "Being able to share that experience with the next generation.”
In 2023, Vincent and business partner Jeff Pray opened Northlake Shooting Sports – a shooting range for adults and kids alike.
"If I can help those kids find a passion for something or even just find a new hobby, then we’re all gonna have fun," Hancock said. "And that teaches you something good about life.”
Like his late father Craig, Vincent sees the value in coaching and sharing his expertise and wisdom.
"My legacy -- if I’m gonna leave one -- I want it to be I was able to impact people in a positive way," he said.