A Look at the Four Athletes Representing Alaska in the 2012 Olympics

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By Danny Martin - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner / dmartin@newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS - The Olympics have begun in London. Four athletes have ties to Alaska.

• Corey Cogdell — The 26-year-old from Eagle River is vying for her second Olympic medal, as she brought home the bronze in women’s trap shooting at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

Cogdell came from behind in Olympic Trials to earn berths in Beijing and London. She was eight shots back in 2008 and six shots back this year.

She garnered the women’s trap shooting gold this year at the World Cup Tucson in Arizona.

• Janay DeLoach — The first-time Olympian and 2003 Eielson High School graduate holds the Alaska state high school girls long jump record of 19 feet, 5 inches, set at the state meet at Bartlett High School in Anchorage in 2003.

DeLoach earned her Olympic berth with a third-place and personal-best finish of 23 3/4 inches at the Olympic Trials in June in Eugene, Ore.

The former Colorado State University All-American captured the USA indoor women’s long jump titles this year and in 2011. The 26-year-old Fort Collins, Colo., resident was runner-up at this year’s world indoor championships and the 2011 USA outdoor nationals.

• Matt Emmons — Emmons helped the Alaska Nanooks capture four NCAA rifle championships (2001-04) during his career. He also won the smallbore individual national title three times (2001-03), was the air rifle titlist in 2001 and received eight first-team All-America honors for his career.

The 31-year-old native of Browns Mills, N.J., earned the Olympic gold medal in the 50-meter prone competition in 2004 in Athens, Greece, and took the silver in the same event in 2008 in Beijing.

• Jamie (Beyerle) Gray — The former Nanook (2002-06) placed fourth in the women’s 10-M air rifle and fifth in the 50-M three-position event at the Beijing Olympics.

The 28-year-old from Lebanon, Pa., was the 2011 USA Shooting Rifle Athlete of the Year honoree. She won in the 2011 World Cup Sydney and is a two-time champion in the International Shooting Sports Federation World Cup USA.

When she was known as Jamie Beyerle, she helped the Nanooks capture four NCAA titles (2002-04 and in 2006). The six-time All-American won the NCAA individual air rifle title as a freshman in 2003, the same year she took gold in the 50-M three-position event at the ISSF World Cup in Croatia.

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Jim said on Wednesday, Aug 1 at 5:08 PM

Steve, you're a small minded idiot to think that you can generalize all of Alaskans into one group and for thinking that you speak for the rest of the world. Your opinions are just that, your opinions. Doesn't make them wrong but it also doesn't make them right.

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Steve said on Tuesday, Jul 31 at 9:11 AM

Corey is a trophy hunter and a despicable human being. Alaskans, being barbarians, might approve but the rest of the world does not.

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Natasha said on Monday, Jul 30 at 11:00 PM

That's great that Alaska gets credit for four athletes "representing", but really there's just ONE Alaskan. The track runner is Colorado, the other two are New Jersey and Pennsylvania. They were students at UAF. Doesn't make them Alaskans.

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LOL said on Monday, Jul 30 at 10:54 AM

Shooting Clay pigeons is murder unless you eat them. lol

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Douglas said on Monday, Jul 30 at 5:45 AM

Poor Helen, learn to differentiate between an Olympic Sport and Subsistence hunting. Don't have kids, by the way. You will only poison hatred towards those who are trying to survive in areas where subsistence hunting is direly needed!

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Heidi Huso said on Sunday, Jul 29 at 9:47 PM

I'm sorry Helen, but I guess being backin collge I forgot that their really are people out there that are so ignorant that they don't kn ow they are ignorant. Buy the way I live in Alaska, right now I am attending the Universty of Alaska in Anchorage. es I do believe in hunting for food not trophy hunting, but meat to sustain my health.

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Iris said on Sunday, Jul 29 at 6:50 PM

Helen, maybe I'm missing something. What makes you think Corey Cogdell kills animals for sport?

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Marcia said on Sunday, Jul 29 at 3:22 PM

I am betting that Helen lives here in Alaska and should knows about the need for some people to hunt for the food they eat. Helen, it only sends the wrong message if kids are not taught the correct reasons for hunting.

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Amanda said on Sunday, Jul 29 at 1:43 PM

agreed, helen we hunt for our food like people have been doing for millions of years, not all of us Alaskans are harvesters, a good 70-80% are full on hunters. We eat what we kill, its the law of nature. If you dont like it, too bad go back to gathering fruit and veggys and let the rest of us enjoy the meat of our hard earned kills

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Big Dan said on Sunday, Jul 29 at 12:46 PM

Get real Helen, almost all Alaskans hunt, and we all eat what we harvest. Are you a vegan? If not, then get off you high horse about those of us that hunt.

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Helen Chave said on Sunday, Jul 29 at 9:55 AM

I do not like the fact that Corey Cogdell is competing in the Olympic Games. She murders beautiful animals in the name of 'sport'. This gives out the wrong message especially to children that it is alright to use guns on defenceless animals.

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