A Golden Day for Glenn Eller
OutdoorHub 10.25.11
Glenn Eller (Katy, Texas) began the day with 49 out of 50 targets in Men’s Double Trap at the Pan American Games. Looking to add to the USA’s medal count, Sgt. Eller of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit shot a perfect 50 targets in his second round and 48 targets in the third round for 147 targets—just one target shy of the world record for the gold medal. Not only did Eller’s 147 targets set a new Pan American match record for Men’s Double Trap, but his total score of 195 targets is a new Pan American total record, again just one target shy of the world record. The previous Pan American record was 187 targets, needless to say Eller put up an amazing performance. In the final, he experienced difficulty with a spring in his trigger—he had two malfunctions but didn’t lose any targets as a result. “We were fortunate to have good conditions and the Jalisco Hunting Club is the nicest venue in the Americas,” commented Eller. Puerto Rico’s Jose Torres won the silver medal with 136 match targets and 49 targets in the final for 185 total targets. Luis Da Graca of Brazil won the bronze medal with a perfect final of 50 targets for 182 total targets.
His father, Butch Eller (pictured at left with Glenn), made the journey down to Mexico to watch his son compete in his first Pan American Games. “This is the only international level event that Glenn has not won a gold medal in and I’m very proud of him,” said the senior Eller. National Shotgun Coach Bret Erickson was impressed with Eller’s “dedication and focus.” Erickson explained that “Eller voluntarily gave up his spot on the 2003 and 2007 Pan American Teams because in both instances, he already held a quota. I’m glad he had the opportunity to attend this year and delivered a world class performance.” Eller’s gold marks the 12th shooting medal for the U.S. at the Pan American Games, and sixth gold medal.
Please navigate to the official Pan American Games website for complete results. Highlights of the Pan American Games can be found at http://bit.ly/q4UwBR and http://es.pn/mW8QeW. For updates and news, please visit USA Shooting’s Website, Facebook and Twitter.