Mary Carolynn Tucker is a 22-year-old American competitive shooter. In the mixed 10m air rifle competition, she took home the silver medal in Tokyo 2020. She previously took home the gold in the 10-meter air rifle at the ISSF World Cup in 2021. In the ISSF World Cup 2021 in New Delhi, she also took home a silver medal in the women’s 10-meter air rifle team and a bronze in the mixed 10-meter air rifle team. She recently qualified for the 2024 Olympics in Paris after winning the Pan American Games in 2023.
Mary Carolynn Tucker’s Early Life and the Beginning of Her Shooting
Mary Carolynn Tucker was born on July 20, 2001, in Pineville, North Carolina to her father Rob Tucker, who played soccer in North Carolina, and her mother. She has one brother named Reece.
When Tucker first became interested in shooting as a sport five years ago, she had to hide her ambitions from her mother, who did not approve of guns and worried about her safety. As Tucker describes:
“I went to the trials without informing her. When I made it to the team, I told her, ‘Oh by the way, I have been selected for the shooting team.’ She was not happy when she got to know about it,”
“She didn’t like guns and she was worried that it was going to be dangerous,” the West Virginia University student said.
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Despite her mother’s apprehensions, Tucker pursued her passion in secret by joining her high school’s shooting team at Sarasota Military Academy.
After graduating high school, Tucker enrolled at the University of Kentucky on a rifle shooting scholarship. She is currently finishing her college shooting career at the University of West Virginia, while also training with ambitions of competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Behind The “Rebel Child” of Shooting
Tucker first began shooting in 2017 at her high school, which had various sports teams. However, her mother specifically told her she could join any team except shooting, due to safety concerns over guns. As Tucker tells it:
“I started shooting in 2017. I went to a high school that had (sports) teams. My mom told me I could join any team except shooting…”
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Despite her mother’s prohibition, Tucker defiantly went behind her back and joined the shooting team anyway:
“So, I joined the shooting team.”
Tucker then laughs while recounting the story, taking delight in the subversive move. Her willful disobedience to her mother’s wishes is what led to her being dubbed the “rebel child” of the US shooting.
Meet Mary Tucker Boyfriend Jirka Přívratský
It appears US shooting star Mary Tucker may be in a relationship with Czech rifle shooter Jirka Přívratský, based on recent social media activity.
Přívratský, born on March 13, 2001, in Ostrava, Czechia, is a 22-year-old Olympian who competed alongside Tucker in the Tokyo 2020 games. He has already won an impressive 26 international shooting medals so far in his career.
While neither Tucker nor Přívratský has officially confirmed a relationship, looking at Tucker’s one Instagram post she is with Přívratský and some comments saying “Beautiful Couple” signs suggest romance may be between the champion shooters.
Mary Tucker Fights Through a Knee Injury Back in 2019
In 2019, Tucker began experiencing debilitating knee pain that started impacting her training and shooting career. Basic activities like working out, climbing stairs, and walking aggravated the intense pain.
The knee injury made shooting competitions exceptionally agonizing, as Tucker describes the challenge of making it through a 60-shot event without crying. As stopping her career was not an option, she resorted to braces, pain medication, physical therapy, and other treatments for temporary relief.
Finally, in December 2022, after moving to a new training facility at West Virginia University, Tucker’s medical team made a breakthrough discovery regarding knee problems. While the injury is still requiring surgery and treatment, the progress comes as an enormous relief. Tucker says this renewed hope helps restore some of the lost enjoyment in her beloved sport.
Mary Shooting Career from Family Garage to Olympics
Early Career
Tucker first began shooting rifles at just 16 years old in her family’s garage in 2017. She hadn’t even watched shooting events at the previous year’s Rio Olympics when she started training.
After initially joining and then quitting her high school team, Tucker became a self-taught phenom, learning proper technique through YouTube videos and websites.
Tucker’s immense potential was quickly realized when the University of Kentucky (UK) recruited her for its rifle program shortly after she took up the sport. Over just two record-breaking seasons with the UK, she racked up multiple conference and national rookie and athlete of the year honors.
In astonishingly rapid time, Tucker reached the pinnacle of her sport, claiming gold at the 2021 ISSF World Cup in the 10-metre women’s air rifle final – her first-ever international medal. Her precision was on full display, with near-perfect marks on 23 of 24 shots.
Tokyo Olympics
Tucker qualified for Team USA in air rifle shooting ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. There she captured a silver medal in the 10-metre mixed air rifle event alongside partner Lucas Kozeniesky.
Riding high from Olympic success, Tucker proceeded to haul multiple medals at the 2021 ISSF World Cup, across all event types. She also claimed previous medals in air rifle at the distinguished Pan American Games.
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During her collegiate career at the University of Kentucky, she spearheaded their team to back-to-back NCAA rifle championships in 2021 and 2022. Individually, she secured the maximum titles for two straight years across smallbore and air rifle categories, plus the overall NCAA high performer honor.
Mary Tucker 2023 Pan American Games With Sights Set on Paris 2024 Olympics
Competing at her first-ever Pan American Games in October 2023, Mary Tucker immediately dominated the 50m smallbore rifle event. She placed first in a competitive field to capture the gold medal with a record-breaking final score.
Tucker added to her Pan American Games haul by securing bronze in the 10m air rifle competition behind fellow American Sagen Maddalena’s gold medal performance. Partnering with Rylan Kissell, Tucker also helped Team USA earn another gold in the mixed team air rifle discipline.
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Currently ranked 2nd overall in U.S. Olympic Trials standings for the 50m smallbore rifle and 3rd for the 10m air rifle, Tucker has outstanding prospects to qualify for the 2024 Paris Games.
