Racine Sun

A Waterford, Wisconsin native was part of an Olympic duo that recently won a bronze medal.

Maddy Bernau, a 23-year-old athlete, won in trap shooting.

Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Janesville) certainly took notice by sending out a celebratory tweet after her victory.

“Maddy wins the bronze,” he wrote.  

Bernau almost made the women’s individual competition, but just missed the cut. Instead of losing focus, she persevered, along with her partner Brian Burrows, to fend off stiff competition from Slovakia in the mixed competition.

Chad Whittenberg coaches Bernau at Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tennessee and credited her fortuitous attitude.

“She has done a lot of work to get to this point,” Whittenberg previously said. “It takes a strong mental game and she’s been putting in the time and the work.”

Bernau previously attended Simpson College at Indianola, Iowa, but transferred when her coach took another job.

With the duo’s win the U.S. now has 23 bronze medals, out of a total 79 medals.

According to USA Shooting, Bernau began clay target shooting at 12 years old and proceeded to shoot American trap, skeet and sporting clays through her high school’s Scholastic Clay Target Program after being introduced to the sport by her father.