Shooting
  • Posted on Tuesday, August 5, 2008
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Experience sets 44-year-old on Olympic path

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There are millions of athletes around the world with far superior athleticism to Dominic Grazioli, but only a small percentage of them share the same designation he does: 2008 Olympian.

The 1982 Socastee High School graduate and resident of San Antonio will compete for the U.S. in Beijing in shotgun trap shooting. Although it took years for Grazioli's Olympic dreams to come true - he was an alternate for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta - his focus has been rewarded.

"I'm 44 years old," Grazioli said. "That's the nice thing about shooting - the oldest Olympic athletes are in shooting and archery. In those sports, it's all about your reflexes and your eyes. That's the reason I'm able to compete at the Olympic level."

In many sports, Grazioli's age would have precluded him from earning the invite to the Olympics, but he and 46-year-old Bret Erickson, the United States' other trap qualifier, are showing that the Olympics are for athletes of all ages.

Read the complete story at myrtlebeachonline.com

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