Verle Wright, Jr.
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Full name | Verle Franklin•Wright, Jr. |
| Used name | Verle•Wright, Jr. |
| Born | 19 January 1928 in Muncie, Indiana (USA) |
| Died | 4 November 2012 in Nacogdoches, Texas (USA) |
| Measurements | 172 cm / 82 kg |
| NOC |  United States |
Biography
Verle Wright competed in shooting for the US at the 1956 Olympics, and at three World Championships. In 1952 he won a silver medal in the English match (prone small-bore rifle), while in 1962 he won silver with the standard rifle at 300 metres. His greatest meet, however, was the 1958 Worlds, where he won gold with the free rifle in both kneeling and prone, adding bronze medals standing and 3-positions. In 1962 Wright was awarded the second United States International Distinguished Shooter Badge (badge #2). He competed at the 1955, 1959, and 1963 Pan American Games, winning 12 medals and 7 gold medals.
Wright was a career military officer in the Army. He was an instructor in the US Army Marksmanship Unit, serving in multiple locations, including Vietnam and Grafenwöhr, Germany. He started active duty in 1956 and retired in 1977. Wright was inducted into the US Army Marksmanship Unit Hall of Fame in October 2012.
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 Summer Olympics | Shooting | USA |
Verle Wright, Jr. | |||
| Small-Bore Rifle, Three Positions, 50 metres, Men (Olympic) | 14 | |||||
| Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 metres, Men (Olympic) | 36 |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the Summer Pan American Games (7–3–2 1955 Ciudad de México SHO gold: small-bore rifle 3 positions team and free rifle 3 positions team, bronze: small-bore rifle 3 positions and army rifle 3 positions team; 1959 Chicago SHO gold: small-bore rifle 3 positions team, free rifle standing team, free rifle kneeling team, silver: free rifle prone and free rifle prone team; 1963 São Paulo SHO gold: small-bore rifle 3 positions team and free rifle 3 positions team, silver: free rifle 3 positions)
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Shooting Championships (5–6–3 1952 Oslo gold: 50+100 m free rifle prone team, silver: 50+100 m free rifle prone, bronze: 50 m small-bore rifle prone team; 1954 Caracas gold: 50+100 m free rifle prone team; 1958 Moskva gold: 300 m free rifle kneeling and 300 m free rifle prone, silver: 50 m small-bore rifle kneeling team, bronze: 50 m small-bore rifle standing and 50 m small-bore rifle 3 positions team; 1962 Al-Qahira gold: 50 m small-bore rifle standing team, silver: 300 m standard rifle 3 positions, 300 m free rifle 3 positions team, 50 m small-bore rifle 3 positions team, and 50 m small-bore rifle prone team)