The 14 athletes competing at this World Cup were selected at the Summer Selection Match in Kerrville, Texas last year. Not only are World Cup medals on the line for athletes at the World Cups in 2019, but valuable quotas as well for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo Japan. An Olympic quota is essentially a country’s ticket to participate in a specific event at the Olympic Games. Earning an Olympic quota in competition ensures the country a spot in that particular event, not necessarily the athlete. Of the eight individual athlete quotas the United States would need to send a full Shotgun team, U.S. athletes have earned five, with the maximum number of quotas earned in Men’s and Women’s Skeet. One of two possible quotas have been earned in Women’s Trap, and none thus far in Men’s Trap. Shotgun athletes will earn Olympic Team slots via a trials system which can be viewed here: https://bit.ly/2Y1GFla.
Women’s Trap will kick things off in Al Ain with the women in the hunt for a second and final Olympic quota in the event. Narrowly missing a spot in the Finals in Acapulco by one target was Ashley Carroll (Solvang, California) who will look to build on that performance in Al Ain. She’ll be joined by National Champion Aeriel Skinner (Jackson, California, pictured) and 14-year-old Junior National and National Junior Olympic Champion Carey Garrison (Crossville, Tennessee).
Men’s Trap will see two Double Trap converts taking the field in 2008 Olympic gold medalist Glenn Eller (Katy, Texas/USAMU) and two-time Olympian Josh Richmond (Hillsgrove, Pennsylvania/USAMU). Joining them will be professional sporting clays athlete Derrick Mein (Walnut, Kansas). Mein makes his return to the international Men’s Trap circuit following his last World Cup appearance in 2011.
Carroll will also team up with Mein and Skinner with Eller for the Trap Mixed Team event.
Competing fresh off her gold-medal win in Women’s Skeet in Acapulco (pictured) is six-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode (El Monte, California). She’ll be joined by the rest of her teammates/podium mates from the 2018 World Championship in reigning World Champion Caitlin Connor (Winnfield, Louisiana) and bronze medalist Amber English (Colorado Springs, Colorado/U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit).
The Men’s Skeet team will be led by Phillip Jungman (Caldwell, Texas/USAMU) who most recently won top honors at the Spring Selection match. In his latest international finish, Jungman finished just off the podium in fourth place at the Championship of the Americas in Guadalajara, Mexico. Also competing in Men’s Skeet will be Josh Raley (Gretna, Louisiana) and Hayden Stewart (Columbia, Tennessee/USAMU). Raley will make his World Cup debut at this match.
More than 430 athletes from 71 countries will compete at this World Cup. A complete schedule of events and scores can be found here: https://bit.ly/2G2yKNG.