Army veteran Vincent Hancock aims during the pre-event training for the men’s skeet at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, France. (Joshua Schave/USA Shooting)

CHATEAUROUX, France – Army veteran Vincent Hancock took his United States teammate Conner Prince under his wing four years ago and noticed his talent immediately.

In fact, Hancock, a three-time Olympic champion in the men’s skeet, described the youngster’s talent as on par with his own.

So, plenty of times on the range in Northlake, Texas, near where they live, Hancock and Prince have discussed not just either one of them winning gold in the men’s skeet at the 2024 Paris Olympics but taking the silver medal as well.

On Saturday afternoon at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, they realized that dream. And in the end, the teacher outlasted the student in a duel in the men’s skeet final, as Hancock took gold with a 58-57 victory.

Chinese Taipei’s Meng Yuan Lee took home the bronze medal.

“I cannot be happier that we went 1-2,” Hancock said. “We’ve been talking about this. We shoot together, and we’ve been talking about this for years. So, knowing that we’re able to talk this into existence …”

The victory gave Hancock more than just his fourth Olympic gold.

The 35-year-old former sergeant in the Army Marksmanship Unit entered rarified air. He became just the second shooter to win four individual golds in Olympics history and the first to do it in the same discipline. South Korea’s Jong-oh Jin won the men’s 50-meter pistol three times and the 10-meter air pistol once.

The Eatonton, Ga., native joined an elite list of six athletes across all disciplines in winning his latest medal. The group includes Games legends in American Al Oerter in the discus, Dane Paul Elvstrom in sailing one-person class, American Carl Lewis in the long jump, American Michael Phelps in swimming’s 200-meter individual medley and Cuban Mijain Lopez in the heavyweight class of Greco-Roman wrestling.

American swimmer Katie Ledecky became the seventh Saturday evening with her fourth-straight victory in the women’s 800-meter freestyle race.

Having idolized Carl Lewis growing up and seeing Phelps compete as a fellow Olympian, the significance isn’t lost on Hancock.

“That’s pretty special for me because I love the Olympics,” he said. “Knowing that I’ve been able to do what I’ve done in this sport and be able to get four and be able to have my name in the same echelon as theirs, that’s special to me.”

Heading into the finals, Hancock needed to make up some ground to get to the top.

He missed two targets during the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday morning. That placed Hancock in fourth, meaning if he and another competitor were tied with the same score at an elimination point and that person had a qualification score higher than his, Hancock would have been out.

The exception would have been with the final two athletes, who then would have gone to shoot-off.

It didn’t look to be an issue until after 30 shots and the four remaining competitors – Prince, Italy’s Tammaro Cassandro, Lee and Hancock – were tied on 29 clays. The trio all finished above him in qualification.

Cassandro missed two shots early in the next round, and Lee missed a pair while Hancock and Prince missed only one each over the next 20 shots to stay tied at 48.

That left Prince and Hancock with 10 shots to decide who got gold and silver.

“It feels like home,” Prince said of competing against his mentor.

Army veteran Vincent Hancock talks with teammate Conner Prince, left, during the pre-event training for the men’s skeet at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, France. (Joshua Schave/USA Shooting)

The American sharpshooters traded targets for the first six shots across two spots. But on his first shot in the last position, Prince missed, giving Hancock the opening he needed.

And the mentor took it, hitting the last four clays for yet another gold.

“If I can just hold the target on each one of those, I’m not going to miss,” Hancock said of his mentality on the range. “I have enough time to make the corrections, I have enough time to see the target clearly, all of those things.”

Afterward, Hancock said he has nothing left to prove in the sport – he just likes the competition.

That being said, age is catching up to him. He mentioned being wiped after each day of the skeet event and is thrilled to get a day of rest before the mixed team contest on Monday.

He admitted he planned to retire after these Games, but once the International Olympic Committee announced Los Angeles as the host in 2028, he’s going to muster one more ride.

“I would like to go back and compete in an Olympics on U.S. soil,” Hancock said. “What better place to retire than on home ground and hopefully can defend again?”