Aim for Spain: Countdown to 2014 ISSF World Championship Begins for USA Shooting Team
OutdoorHub 08.27.14
Twelve days is all that separates 81 USA Shooting Team athletes from the biggest shooting competition on the planet as competitors anxiously await the 2014 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship in Granada, Spain, and the official beginning of an 18-month Olympic qualification period.
Things get underway September 8 as athletes take to the line in Air Rifle, Free Pistol and Trap. Poised to relish the moment as USA Shooting Team members are select athletes, including 15 Olympians, representing 37 states. The numbers include 30 shotgun team members, 23 in pistol and 28 rifle competitors. Per usual, there is a large military presence on this USA Shooting Team with 15 members of the team residing at the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit based in Ft. Benning, Ga. Eleven Olympic Training Center (OTC) Resident Athletes also make up the 81 person team.
With more than 2,000 competitors set to compete, the Shooting World Championship is by far the biggest shooting event every quadrennium and the competition will be intense with the start of Olympic qualification and 64 quota spots available. Two times more quota spots will be available at this World Championship than in any other competition the next two years leading up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. A breakdown of available quotas and events is provided in the table below.
World Champs Quotas
| Pistol | M/W Air Top 6 | Men’s Free Top 4 | Men’s Rapid Fire Top 2 | Women’s Sport Top 5 |
| Rifle | M/W Air Top 6 | M/W 3-Position Top 5 | Men’s Prone Top 5 |
|
| Shotgun | M/W Trap & Skeet Top 3 | Men’s Double Trap Top 2 |
| Total Quotas 64 |
If World Cup success is any indication, the team is poised for great success in the shotgun events as USA Shooting Team athletes have earned 13 World Cup medals in 2014. A Junior Team contingent featuring all 15 members of the Junior Team that will compete in Spain also earned seven medals as well at a Junior Cup in Suhl, Germany, including three gold, two silver and two bronze along with 11 top-seven performances. Highlighting this performance was a recent historic medal run at the Munich World Cup in which the shotgun team gathered seven podium finishes.
In terms of demonstrating actual shooting superiority, the World Championship stands alone for its prominence and competitiveness. At the 2010 World Championships, 35 nations finished on the podium of the 50th ISSF World Championship in 2010 from Munich, Germany. The People’s Republic of China finished atop of the medal standings, securing 21 Gold, 20 Silver and 11 Bronze medals, while Russia followed in second with 21 Gold, 13 Silver and 12 Bronze medals, for a total of 46 awards. The United States finished third in the medal standings with 11 gold, six silver and seven bronze for 24 medals. The U.S. also set four World Records during the 50th World Championships.
For a complete World Championship schedule, click here: http://www.issf-sports.org/competitions/venue.ashx?cshipid=930
To get you set to follow your USA Shooting Team, we’ll be counting down the days with our Aim For Spain Release Countdown featuring previews, news, notes and information about the 81-strong U.S. contingent. Here’s a preview of what’s to come.
Aim For Spain Release Countdown
- Thursday, August 28 – Top 10 Reasons to Pay Attention
- Friday, August 29 – World Champs Behind The Scenes
- Tuesday, September 1 — Pistol Preview
- Wednesday, September 3 – Rifle Preview
- Thursday, September 4 – Shotgun Preview
- Friday, September 5 – Non-Olympic Events Preview
Check out the complete World Champs U.S. Team preview in the fourth USA Shooting News issue of 2014: http://content.yudu.com/A3281g/ShootingMagSept2014/resources/index.htm
We encourage you to follow the team through the following methods:
- Keep up with all the action by following USA Shooting on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM or via the website at www.usashooting.org. Check out the dedicated World Champs webpage here: http://www.usashooting.org/12-the-team/wchteam14.
- USA Shooting Team Event HASHTAG: #USASWCH14
- For event pictures, go to USA Shooting’s Flickr site
