This is the third time Utah's Denise Parker has competed in the Olympic games. She's already got one medal. Now she's ready for another.

News Specialist Shelley Osterloh has details.

Denise Parker is an amazing comeback story. At 14-years-old, she was the youngest member of the U.S Olympic team at the 1988 Seoul Games. There she won a bronze medal and became an instant celebrity.

The little girl from South Jordan was invited to the White House and The Tonight Show - featured in Sports Illustrated and Life magazines.

But eventually the girl who couldn't miss seemed to loose sight of her target, and the meteoric rise led to a hard fall.

Now, she's back.

Denise Parker makes it looks easy.

When she was just a kid, on a hunting trip with her Dad, Denise discovered she had a gift for archery.

Soon she was winning every competition she entered. At the Olympics in 1988, she helped the team win a bronze medal. Then, everything changed.

Denise Parker/Olympic Archery: "YOU KNOW, WE'RE LIVING THIS NICE LITTLE LIFESTYLE IN SOUTH JORDAN, GOING FISHING ON THE WEEKENDS, AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN WE'RE DOING INTERVIEWS WITH TIME MAGAZINE AND PARADE AND SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. AND SOMEBODY'S CALLING ALL THE TIME-- THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW, AND YOU ARE FLYING TO NEW YORK. AND IT'S AMAZING, BUT IT'S ALMOST OVERWHELMING. YOU'RE NOT READY TO DEAL WITH IT."

Her natural talent won her a list of impressive national and international titles, including another trip to the Olympics in Barcelona, where she finished 5th.

But gradually, the joy she felt with archery, slipped away. And winning became the most important thing.

Denise: "I APPLIED SO MUCH PRESSURE ON MYSELF THAT IT JUST BECAME A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE FOR ME EVERY TIME I STEPPED OUT ONTO THE FIELD."

Her natural ease and confidence dissappeared, replaced by fear and self-doubt.

Denise: "AND WHEN YOU GO INTO SOMETHING AND YOU'RE SCARED, THAT CENTER LOOKS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A DIME."

When she failed to make the Olympic team in 1996, she felt lost. She put her bow in the closet, perhaps never to pick it up again.

In the meantime, she finished college and became the marketing manager for bow manufacturer Hoyt International.

She discovered new talents and perspective, and realized her self-worth isn't connected to winning.

She hadn't picked up a bow for two years, when she thought it would be fun to shoot again. She re-discovered the joy of archery and with it, the knowledge that she could once again be among the best.

Now at 26, an older, wiser, Denise Parker is on the Olympic team. Her eye is sharp, her hand steady and her confidence strong.

Denise: "FALLING IS PART OF THE GAME. YOU CAN DO IT AT A BIG LEVEL OR A LITTLE LEVEL, BUT NOT TO EVER LOOSE CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF. I ALWAYS KNEW I HAD THE ABILITY, IT WAS JUST GETTING EVERYTHING IN LINE."