LONDON, July 26: US cancer survivor Matt Emmons on Thursday said he hoped long experience would help him avoid the incredible meltdowns which robbed him of shooting gold at the last two Olympics.

Emmons, who won the 50m rifle prone event at Athens 2004, blew his chance on the final shot in the 50m rifle three position at the same Games, and unbelievably suffered the same fate four years later.

In 2004, Emmons shot the wrong target, and in Beijing his trigger finger slipped.

But the troubles paled into insignificance when Emmons, 31, whose wife Katerina shoots for the Czech Republic, was struck by thyroid cancer.

“In 2010, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and I had surgery to remove my thyroid, but now I feel good,” he said during training at London’s Royal Artillery Barracks.

“Now I just have to take the thyroid hormone every day because I have no thyroid. But I feel fine. Everything’s good,” added Emmons, taking part in the 10m air rifle and 50m rifle three positions competitions.Speaking about his hopes for himself and his wife, he said: “I just hope that we can walk away from London saying that we competed the best we could. If that results in some medals, great, that’s awesome.

“As a family we have five Olympic medals. That’s awesome. If we can have some more that would be great too. I hope we can get some but, really, I think we’re both happy if we just compete well.”

Katerina Emmons, 28, won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle and took silver in the 50m rifle three positions in Beijing. She won a bronze in the 10m air rifle in Athens.—AFP