Another Strong Performance from the USA Shooting Team
OutdoorHub 10.25.11
The USA Shooting Team had another successful day on the range. In Men’s 50m Rifle Prone, Michael McPhail (Darlington, Wisc.), a soldier and member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) weathered the strong winds in the final for 591 match points. “It was a very challenging match because of the wind—it changed directions often and was unpredictable, but it made me focus and set my sights on the gold,” said McPhail. He didn’t let up in the final, firing 102.2 points for 693.2 total points and the gold medal. Fellow American Jason Parker (Columbus, Ga.), also a member of the USAMU, entered the final in fifth position, but shot his way up to the bronze medal with the highest final of 102.8 points for 690.8 total points. “Going into a prone final in fifth place isn’t an ideal position, but since it was so windy, I had confidence in my ability to make up points,” said Parker. “At Fort Benning, we put a lot of emphasis on training in the wind, so I felt more prepared than anyone else on the line.” The silver medalist was Misael Suligoy of Argentina with 590 match points and 101.5 points in the final for 691.5 total points.
In Women’s 25m Sport Pistol, Teresa Meyer (Dearborn, Mich.) entered the final in the second position with 570 points. Seeded two positions behind was teammate Sandra Uptagrafft (Phenix City, Ala.) with 570 match points. Uptagrafft surged ahead for her second Pan American Games medal as she clinched the silver medal and quota for Team USA with 199.8 points in the final. The gold medalist—Ana Mello of Brazil claimed the quota at the 2010 CAT Games, so Uptagrafft was the quota winner. “It’s a big relief to have finally won our quota. Though a gold medal would have been ideal, I’m elated to be on the medal stand again,” said Uptagrafft. “We had to deal with the cold and wind, and I had trouble executing my shots. I can’t be anything but happy with a quota for Team USA.” Meyer finished fifth overall with 765.6 total points.
American Matt Gossett (Springville, Ala.) finished fourth overall in Men’s Trap with 142 total targets. Gossett nailed 121 out of 125 qualification targets and 21 targets in the final. “I was nervous during the final—especially since it was my first international [open] final. After the first pair of misses, I was able to concentrate and get back in the groove and when I missed my second pair, I knew that was it,” commented Gossett. Teammate Jake Turner (Richland, Wash.) shot 118 targets for eighth place. The action continues tomorrow with competition in Men’s Double Trap. The USA Shooting Team still holds the lead in the medal count with eleven total medals.
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.
