SOUTHERN COLORADO — An Olympian, army lieutenant, paramedic, and daughter.
31-year-old Amber English was born and raised in Colorado Springs. Her mother, Ana, said Amber started taking gymnastics at the age of three, but hurt her back when she was a teenager. Skeet shooting ended up being English's favorite sport, and she never looked back. "Determined, dynamic, active girl, ever since she was very little," said Ana.
Amber won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the women's skeet shooting competition. Her mom was watching every minute from her home in Monument. "Seeing her win and none of us being there to give her that hug, it was difficult. But in the same sense, every single athlete is experiencing the same thing," said Ana.
Ana said her daughter has worked as a paramedic in Southern Colorado, and is an Army Lieutenant assigned to the Army Marksmanship Unit. Amber lives at Fort Benning in Georgia. "Graduate from Cheyenne Mountain High School, she went to UCCS, and she lived at the Olympic Training Center and trained right here in Colorado," said Ana.
Ana told News5 that in 2016, her husband and Amber's father unexpectedly died. "He is cheering her on, having a beer with whoever he can find up above. He was there with her the whole time. His dream for her was for her to achieve her dreams," said Ana.
Ana said she and her son will be visiting Amber in Georgia soon to celebrate her gold medal.
