By Brittany Nelson, USAS Public Relations & Communications Manager
COLO SPRGS, CO (Oct. 28, 2022) – USA Shooting shotgun and rifle athletes brought home a total of 19 medals and five U.S. Olympic quotas during both of their 2022 World Championships this fall.
Shotgun athletes earned nine medals and three Olympic quotas for the U.S. during their competition in Osijek, Croatia, Sept. 19- Oct. 12.
Derrick Mein earned gold and a U.S. Olympic quota in Men’s Trap. Benjamin Keller earned gold in Junior Men’s Skeet. The Women’s Skeet team, Sam Simonton, Dania Vizzi, and Austen Smith also earned a World Championship title with their first-place finish. The team’s fourth gold medal went to the Junior Men’s Skeet team, Benjamin Keller, Aidin Burns, and Jordan Sapp.
Vincent Hancock brought home a silver medal in Men’s Skeet and earned the U.S. and Olympic quota in the event. Hancock, Dustan Taylor, and Christian Elliot shared the podium when they earned second place in the Men’s Skeet Team event. The Junior Women’s Skeet Team, Alishia “Fayth” Layne, Julia Nelson, and Mikena “Grace” Fulton, also earned silver in their event.
Sam Simonton earned a U.S. Olympic quota in Women’s Skeet when she finished third overall in the event. Matthew Kutz, Emilio Carvalho, and Lance Thompson, also brought home bronze medals in the Junior Men’s Trap Team event.
Rifle athletes earned 10 medals and two Olympic quotas at their competition in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 12-28.
Alison Weisz earned the U.S. an Olympic quota and was crowned World Champion in Women’s 10m Air Rifle. Sagen Maddalena and Ivan Roe also brought home that coveted gold in Mixed Team 50m Prone Rifle. Maddalena additionally earned the U.S. an Olympic quota in Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Position when she placed fourth in the event.
The third gold medal was won by Rylan Kissell, Braden Peiser, and Gavin Barnick, in the Junior Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Position event.
Mary Tucker, Alison Weisz, and Sagen Maddalena earned silver in the Women’s team 10m Air Rifle event.
Tucker also earned bronze in the Women’s 50m Rifle Prone event. Griffin Lake earned a bronze medal in the Junior Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Position event. Tim Sherry placed third in the 300m Standard Rifle Open event.
Katie Zaun and Rylan Kissell earned two bronze medals together, one in Junior Mixed Team 50m Rifle Prone, and one in Junior Mixed Team 50m Rifle 3 Position.
Scott Rockett, Benjamin Salas, and Rylan Kissell also placed third in the Junior Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team event.
The pistol athletes had notable finishes as well. The Junior Women’s 10m Air Pistol team, Suman Sanghera, Ada Korkhin, and Annabell Yi, placed fourth overall. The Junior Women’s 25m Pistol Team, Abbie Leverett, Ada Korkhin and Katherine Ahn, finished sixth overall.
The Paralympic team competes in their World Championship next. The 2022 World Shooting Para Sport World Championships will be held in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 3-18. See the roster here.