Szarenski and Turner Earn 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Nominations in Air Pistol
OutdoorHub 02.26.12
Two more athletes took the next step to achieving their Olympic dreams in Men’s 10m Air Pistol in Port Clinton, Ohio, late Sunday afternoon. From Anniston, Ala., in December to this weekend’s match at the Civilian Marksmanship Unit (CMP), these two athletes conquered the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Airgun.
The nominees include three-time Olympian Sergeant First Class Daryl Szarenski (Seale, Ala.) of the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program and 2008 Olympic bronze medalistJason Turner (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Both Szarenski and Turner are Resident Athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Szarenski is the recent 2011 Pan American Games Men’s 10m Air Pistol gold medalist and quota winner. He came into the weekend with an 18-point advantage over his nearest competitor and would finish atop the standings with 2537.4 total points.
“I’m just glad to be nominated to the Olympic Team,” said Szarenski. “We’ve upped our training this quad and I’m excited to get to London. You try not to go into a defense and hold onto your lead. I just kept on working and shot the best I could every day.”
Turner shot 2519.6 to finish second overall and earn a spot on his third U.S. Olympic Team. “I think the hardest part is making the Team,” said a relieved Turner. “Once you get past that nomination, you can focus more on your training and what it takes to reach the Olympic podium. I’ve been fighting a head cold that drains my energy, but today I was able to get into the zone and go back to the basics to shoot my best.”
“These pistol Trials were very intense,” said National Pistol Coach Sergey Luzov. “Our talent pool was deeper than 2008, and the competition was fierce. Daryl and Jason are the two most experienced Olympians.”
Hall and Szarenski will be joined on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team for Airgun by Matt Emmons (Brown Mills, N.J.), Jonathan Hall (Carrollton, Ga.), Sarah Scherer (Woburn, Mass.) and Jamie Gray(Lebanon, Pa.) who all qualified earlier today in men’s and women’s air rifle.
U.S. Olympic Team selection will now shift to Shotgun with Trials set for May 17-20 in Tucson, Ariz., followed by smallbore (.22 caliber) team selection June 1-12 in Ft. Benning, Ga., home of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU).
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for all sports is a collaborative, three-way partnership between the U.S. Olympic Committee, the national governing bodies and the local organizing committees. All athletes nominated to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team must be approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
