Brown Shines Again in Munich World Cup
OutdoorHub 05.29.13
What can Brown do for you? Well, for USA Shooting, Will Brown (Twin Falls, Idaho) is delivering renewed hope and energy to a pistol program anxious for a new star.
Brown broke through in a big way during the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup USA in Ft. Benning, Ga., earlier this month after winning a gold medal in his signature event, Men’s 10m Air Pistol. For an encore Sunday, he earned a trip to the Finals of the Men’s 50m Free Pistol event in Munich, Germany.
Sixteen days after shooting a 544 in the Free Pistol event in Ft. Benning, Brown shot 16 points higher in Munich for a world-class score of 560, to earn another trip to the finals in consecutive World Cup events.
Brown’s hard work and dedication are certainly paying off during World Cup competition and while he’ll be satisfied with the results in making his first final in 50m Free Pistol, he knows there’s still a lot of work to be done. He finished 19th overall today in the 10m Air Pistol event shooting two points lower than his qualifying score in Georgia.
Also, having a breakout performance was Kelsey Emme (Rapid City, S.D.) in Women’s 10m Air Rifle after finishing 13th in her first career World Cup match. Emme competed against 126 other air rifle competitors and was just 1.2 points away from making finals. Emme just finished her sophomore campaign for the Murray State Racers under head coach Alan Lollar.
In Men’s 10m Air Rifle, Connor Davis (Shelbyville, Ky.) shot 1/10th of a point off the score that would have got him into the Finals of World Cup USA had he not be entered as an “extra” shooter, but that score this time wasn’t nearly good enough amongst a talented field as he’d finish in 26th position overall with a score of 623.7. The 623.8 he shot in Ft. Benning would have qualified him fourth overall. Two consistent marks in his first two World Cup events along a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Rifle Championships and a Junior Olympic championship in recent months will be a big confidence boost for the Kentucky Wildcat as he heads toward USA Shooting’s National Championships beginning June 3.
World Cup USA air rifle silver medalist Dempster Christenson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) wouldn’t fare as well in Munich, shooting 7.3 points lower in qualifying than he did on his way to making the first World Cup final of his career earlier this month. Christenson finished 75th overall while Ryan Anderson (Fairbanks, Alaska) finished 92nd. Garrett Spurgeon (Canton, Mo.) competed as an “extra” shooter and wasn’t eligible for World Cup points, but accumulated 614.7 points in the event for valuable World Cup experience.
Four-time Olympian Emil Milev (Temple Terrace, Fla.) competed in the Men’s Rapid Fire Pistol event and finished 19th overall.
For complete ISSF Munich World Cup results, click here:
http://www.issf-sports.org/calendar/championship_schedule_by_discipline.ashx?cshipid=1444
The ISSF World Cup Series rolls on to Nicosia, Cyprus, for a shotgun-only World Cup, June 10-16. The World Cup will feature 25 U.S. Team members competing based on results of the 2013 Spring Selection Match. The team will include 2012 Olympian Josh Richmond (Hillsgrove, Pa.), 2013 Acapulco World Cup Trap silver medalist Brian Burrows (Fallbrook, Calif.) along with double trap specialist Ian Rupert (Muncy, Pa.), fresh off his 2013 Acapulco World Cup bronze medal, highlighting a strong junior contingent of 10 athletes.
Meanwhile, the nation’s top rifle and pistol athletes are anxiously preparing for the upcoming USA Shooting National Championships, June 3-9 in Ft. Benning, Ga., where selection to USA Shooting National Teams will be on the line along with upcoming World Cup selection.
