COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (March 5, 2018)
The USA Shooting Team won two medals on the opening day of Shotgun competition at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico when Ashley Carroll and Aeriel Skinner won gold and bronze in the Women’s Trap event.
The California duo finished atop the field in Qualification when Skinner (right, Jackson, California) in just her second World Cup appearance set a Qualification World Record of 119/125 targets to finish Qualification in first place. Carroll finished second in Qualification with 118 targets.
Though Skinner and Carroll (left, Solvang, California) are used to shooting 125 targets or more over several days at the USA Shooting selection matches, this World Cup marked the first time internationally where women shot the same number of targets (125) that the men shoot in competition. Women had previously only shot 75 targets in Qualification.
“Even before this match I didn’t know what to expect in terms of scores or how other people were going to do so going into today I was a nervous, hot mess from start to finish!” Carroll said. “It helped [Skinner and I] punch through those extra targets that we weren’t used to shooting in World Cups. Now I know how the flow is going to work, how we are going to be expected to do certain things, and I’m just glad that we shoot the way we do in the U.S. to help us calm our nerves, push forward - especially seeing how those targets after the original 75 targets are going to work.”
Carroll said learning how to mentally break the two days of competition into separate matches may have helped give her an edge, along with training in windy conditions domestically that prepared her for today’s blustery conditions.
“Yesterday I was trying to get myself pumped up after the 75 targets and I had to stop myself because we had another two rounds,” she said. “I’m so used to going to a World Cup and shooting 75 and just sitting on it, but we had another 50 to go and it was kind of weird. I gained a lot of confidence in this Final though, just kept pushing through and I found a rhythm and ended up working out really well. I’m so glad this outcome showed just how hard I’ve worked this whole match.”
Carroll was golden South of the Border once again with today’s win where she also set a Finals World Record of 48/50 hits. Her two other international medals - both gold – were also won in Mexico (World Cup gold in Acapulco in 217, and a gold in 2014 at the Championship of the Americas, which also took place in Guadalajara).
Today’s Finals appearance was Skinner’s first and she took bronze with 34 hits. Top-ranked in the world and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Catherine Skinner of Australia won the silver medal.
Also competing in Women’s Trap in her first international competition, Julia Stallings (Rossville, Tennessee) finished in 12th place with a score of 112.
The Mixed Air Pistol Team of Nick Mowrer (Butte, Montana) and Nathalia Granados Gomez (East Northport, New York) finished just one-point shy of a potential Finals berth, finishing in sixth place with a score of 757. The other U.S. team of James Hall (Anniston, Alabama) and Katelyn Abeln (Douglasville, Georgia) finished in 12th place with a score of 750.
In the Mixed Air Rifle Team event, the team of Rachel Martin (Peralta, New Mexico) and Bryant Wallizer (Little Orleans, Maryland) finished in 10th place (824.6) and the team of Matt Rawlings (Wharton, Texas) and Emily Holsopple (Wilcox, Pennsylvania) finished in 16th place (822.7).
Men’s Trap began action kicked off today with the first 50 targets of Qualification. Making his international debut, Mick Wertz (Muncy, Pennsylvania) currently leads the field with 49 hits. Jake Wallace (Castaic, California) also has 49 hits. Making his international competition debut, Grayson Davey (Anchorage, Alaska) hit 43 targets. Competition continues tomorrow with an additional 75 targets in Qualification and Finals later in the day.
More than 400 athletes from 50 countries are competing at this ISSF World Cup in 15 medal events. This World Cup concludes on March 12. Complete results, schedule and start lists from the ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara are available here: http://www.issf-sports.org/competitions ... hipid=2390.
*Photo courtesy of ISSF