World Shooting Championships Reaches Penultimate Day
OutdoorHub 09.18.14
The penultimate day of the 12 day World Shooting Championships brought action once again in all three disciplines.
The only qualifier and final on the day took place in Junior Women’s Three-Position Rifle where American’s Sonya May (Rockland, Massachusetts), Lorelie Stanfield (Fairbanks, Alaska) and Lauren Phillips (Seabeck, Washington) competed. May was the top finisher in 14th-place with a score of 576. May was battling for a medal through the first two positions (kneeling and prone) before slipping a few places in standing. Stanfield, a fourth-place finisher earlier in the week in prone, finished 28th with a 571. Phillips finished 48th.
Alex Chichkov (Temple Terrace, Florida) put himself in contention to win another World title Friday. Already having earned the crown in Junior Men’s Standard Pistol, he’ll try and do the same in Junior Men’s Sport Pistol. After the precision stage, he holds a three-point advantage as they move on to the rapid-fire stage. Teammates Brian Kim (Los Angeles) and Tony Chung (Diamond Bar, California) sit in 25th and 30th place.
In the precision stage of Center Fire Pistol, Brad Balsley (Uniontown, Pennsylvania) sits in 17th place with his best course of fire, rapid fire, still to come Friday. Balsley’s U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) teammates of Greg Markowski (Columbus, Georgia) and Michael Gasser (Columbus, Georgia) sit in 28th and 34th place.
Joe Hein (Mason, Michigan) was the lone advancer in the Men’s 300m Three-Position Rifle elimination event and will compete in Friday’s qualification event. Michael McPhail (Darlington, Wisconsin), a bronze medalist in 300m Prone, and Mark Gould (Grasonville, Maryland) were unable to advance.
Friday’s final events also include competition in Junior Men’s Three-Position Rifle featuring Tim Sherry (Highlands Ranch, Colorado), Garrett Spurgeon (Canton, Missouri) and Lucas Kozeniesky (Southern Pines, North Carolina). Erin McNeil (Ft. Wayne, Indiana), Reya Kempley (Carson City, Nevada) and Michelle Bohren (Taylor, Michigan) will compete in Women’s 300m Three-Position Rifle.
The focus Friday will once again turn to the shotgun ranges of the Juan Carlos I range in Granada, Spain, where the U.S. team will look to add to its already successful competition. It’s a big event and that must mean that two-time Olympic gold medalist Vincent Hancock (Eatonton, Georgia) is primed and ready. Sure enough, he’s put himself in contention with a 98 tied with Germany’s Sven Korte and one behind Spain’s own Juan Jose Aramburu. As big a pressure-cooker competitor as there is, Hancock’s got the field right where he wants them.
His 2012 Olympic teammate Frank Thompson (Alliance, Nebraska) is still contending too after shooting his first perfect round of the competition this afternoon during round four. Sitting at 97 with 12 others, he’ll need another perfect final round to have a chance at a possible shoot-off. Dustin Perry (Lovelady, Texas) was also contending before a fatal 22 during today’s fourth round put him out of the medal hunt with a 94.
Phillip Jungman (Caldwell, Texas) sits in second place overall missing one target in each of his two rounds and has one round remaining in the Junior Men’s Skeet competition. Christian Elliott (Greenwood, Indiana) is at 91 after a 48/50 today. Luis “Taz” Gloria (Tucson, Arizona) is in at 90.
Contact
Kevin Neuendorf
719-866-4605
kevin.neuendorf@usashooting.org
USA Shooting
