Winchester Athlete of the Month: Glenn Eller
OutdoorHub 10.10.11
Sergeant Glenn Eller (Katy, Texas) is no stranger to the dedication and training it takes to reach the top. Eller was the Men’s Double Trap gold medalist at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. After a few setbacks in early 2011, Eller is breaking through the world rankings to return to the top ten. At the 2011 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Clay Target Championships in early September in Belgrade, Serbia, Eller proved that he’s back and better than ever. With an ease only a champion could display, Eller nailed 145 out of 150 match targets to tie three other shooters for a spot in the final. In the shoot-off, Mashfi Alumatiari of Kuwait was the first athlete to fall with three targets. Next was Hakan Dahbly of Sweden with 11 targets. With just two shooters remaining-Eller and Ahmed Almaktoum of the United Arab Emirates-the tension grew by the minute. The duo continued for 20 targets, 30 targets and finally Almaktoum dropped his thirty-sixth target and Eller advanced to the final. This unprecedented shoot-off is an unofficial record (the ISSF does not monitor this statistic for official records) for a shoot-off in qualification, breaking Vasily Mosin’s previous 30 target shoot-off at the 2010 World Championships.
With yet another battle ahead of him and an additional 36 targets to wear on his shoulder and concentration, Eller maintained pace in the final with 45 out of 50 targets to score 193 total targets. Deciding to do things the hard way, Eller once again found himself in a shoot-off. This time, his opponent was Russia’s Vitaly Fokeev and the winner would earn the World Championship bronze medal. Keeping it short and sweet, Eller topped Forkeev after four targets and happily claimed the bronze medal. “The more success you have, the thinner the line between success and failure becomes, and success is more difficult. It feels good to be back on the other side,” said Eller in regard to his Winchester Athlete of the Month nod. USA Shooting would like to congratulate Eller on his return to the top ten in the world and wish him success for the 2012 season.
