Ft. Benning, Georgia., February 26, 2020
Pistol Trials
Four out of the five total spots on the USA Shooting Olympic Pistol Team have been solidified today during Men’s Air Pistol and Women’s Sport Pistol Olympic Trials Part 2.
This one was already decided for Nick Mowrer (Butte, Montana) before the final even began as he had a large enough lead he could have claimed his spot without even shooting. He did not choose to forgo the finals, but instead went on to shoot and win. Mowrer finished trials with a final overall score of 2328.
The rest of the team’s positions were much less secure as there were multiple athletes who were eligible to finish 2nd-4th place. Ultimately, James Hall (Anniston, Alabama) ended up pulling through and securing his spot on the Olympic Team. Hall’s final combined score at the end of trials totaled 2295.
The Junior Competitor, Hunter Battig (Colorado Springs, Colorado), finished 3rd and is the first alternate for the Olympic Team. Anthony McCollum (Purdin, Missouri), an Ohio State Pistol athlete finished 4th and holds the 2nd alternate position. Battig and McCollum finished with scores of 2288 and 2285 respectively.
Similar to Air Pistol, Women’s Sport Pistol was wrapped before finals began. This time it was true for both Olympic Team positions after Alexis Lagan (Boulder City, Nevada) and Sandra Uptagrafft (Phenix City, Alabama) entered with an insurmountable lead. Lagan and Uptagrafft finished with final scores of 2332 and 2298.
The rest of the field was tight and the two alternate spots were anyone's game. Katelyn AbeIn (Douglasville, Georgia), another Ohio State Pistol athlete, ended up winning the final outright and by doing so, secured her position as the first alternate for the Olympic Games. Right behind her was a battle for 4th place. Nathalia Tobar (Columbus, Georgia) came out 1 point ahead of Heleh Oh (Walnut, California) after four courses, four competitions, and two finals spanning back to last fall.
The remaining Men’s Rapid Fire spot will be announced on Sunday, March 1.
Final Results for Men’s Air Pistol and Women’s Sport Pistol can be found here: https://www.usashooting.org/7-events/match-information