Emmons started out as a successful junior and has been a holder of the junior world record in
50 metre rifle three positions. He won both the
2002 ISSF World Cup Final and the
2004 ISSF World Cup Final in this event. Emmons's gold medal at the
2004 Summer Olympics in the
prone position came while using a borrowed rifle. In April 2004, just prior to the Olympic Team Trials, Emmons discovered his rifle had been severely sabotaged in the supposedly secure locker room at the
United States Olympic Training Center. The precisely tuned barrel and action were heavily damaged by what appeared to be a screwdriver. "The way I come into a target is I start above the target and come down from 12 o'clock and get into the bullseye", he told reporters. "And as I get down into the bullseye is when I start to get on the trigger (with my finger) and as I was starting to get on the trigger, the gun just went off. I guess I just set it off. I got on the trigger a little too hard. I didn't feel my trigger finger shaking but I guess it was. It just hit the trigger, the gun went off and I was like 'uh, that's not going to be good – I hope it hit the black'. It hit the black, but a little high". At the
2012 Summer Olympics, Emmons won the bronze medal in the
three positions. He placed 19th in this event at the 2016 Games. ==Personal life==