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About The Bay: Redwood City Woman Has Olympic, Fashion Goals

REDWOOD CITY (CBS SF) - A Redwood City woman is hoping to make it to this summer's London Olympics. And, if she does, there's no doubt she'll look pretty sharp upon arrival.

As KCBS' Mike Sugerman learned during his travels About the Bay, 20-something Ali Chiang is a budding fashion star - and a star skeet shooter, too.

"Alexander Chiang," she reveals her given name. "My parents thought I was going to be a boy so they decided to name me Alexander anyway, even though I was a girl."

Despite her masculine moniker, her pursuits are decidedly feminine. She is in fashion school, studying product management.

"My mom has always had a huge influence on me. We share shopping together and going out to Union Square, downtown, and just having a blast."

Fashion, it turns out, isn't her only passion. She loves skeet shooting, too.

"I'm currently training right now for the Olympic Trials, which will be held in Tuscon, Arizona in the middle of May," she explained.

Currently, she's training at San Francisco's Pacific Gun and Rod Club, where they've built a special facility, just for her.

"Basically building all new towers here, putting in new machines and modifying the machines so she can shoot Olympic-style skeeting," said Pacific Gun and Rod Club board member Patrick Gilligan.

Her goals include an Olympic medal, and a career in fashion - perhaps outdoor fashion, she says, blending her two passions into one.

KCBS' Mike Sugerman Reports:

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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