By Brittany Nelson, USAS Public Relations & Communications Manager
COLO SPRGS, CO (April 10, 2024) – Over 150 junior female athletes competed in the 2024 USA Shooting Rifle Junior Olympic Championships at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 1-6 in hopes of earning the coveted title of Junior Olympic Champion.
Elizabeth Probst, of Grady Texas, and Emme Walrath, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, were crowned champions in Women’s Air Rifle and Women’s Smallbore Rifle, respectively.
The women’s smallbore medalists. L to R: Katie Zaun, silver, Emme Walrath, gold, and Lauren Hurley, bronze. Photo by Brittany Nelson
Every athlete that competed had to qualify at a state level competition before receiving an invite to the Colorado Springs competition. The first half of the competition, Women’s Air Rifle, saw 178 competitors who represented a whopping 42 states across the country.
The air rifle athletes participated in two full 60 shot matches to determine the top eight finalists. The top eight overall athletes then competed in a final where bronze, silver, and gold medalists were decided.
Probst, the 2023 Smallbore Rifle champion, finished first in air rifle, Walrath finished second, and Rachael Charles of Urbandale, Iowa, finished third.
Medals were also awarded in 18 and under (U18) and 15 and under (U15) age categories. Awardees are as follows:
U18 Women’s Air Rifle: Mackenzie Kring, gold; Makenzie Larson, silver; Camryn Camp, bronze
U15 Women’s Air Rifle: Sandhu Simr, gold; Hypatia Shen, silver; Delilah Muzik, bronze
The second half of the competition was smallbore rifle, also known as 50m smallbore rifle three position. There was a total of 89 competitors from 40 different states competing in smallbore. In the event, athletes shoot 20 shots in each of the following positions, kneeling, prone, and standing, for a total of a 60 shot match. The women competed in two 60 shot matches to determine the overall top eight finalists.
The top eight finalists battled it out to see who went home with the victory title. Walrath earned gold, Katie Zaun, of Buffalo, North Dakota, took home silver, and Lauren Hurley, from Wilsonville, Oregon, earned bronze.
Awardees for U18 and U15 smallbore rifle are as follows:
U18 Women’s Smallbore Rifle: Rylie Passmore, gold; Ashlyn Blake, silver; Mackenzie Kring, bronze
Women’s Air Rifle competitors.
Photo by Mary Jane Warren
U15 Women’s Smallbore Rifle: Hypatia Shen, gold; Simr Sandhu, silver; Delilah Muzik, bronze
ELEY was also in attendance at the competition and named the 2023 ELEY High School All American Team. The following women received the honor of making the team:
Air rifle team: Elijah Spencer, Camryn Camp, Makenzie Larson, Bremen Butler, Katrina Demerle, Elizabeth Probst, Ashlyn Blake, Claudia Muzik, Rylie Passmore.
Smallbore rifle team: Elizabeth Probst, Katrina Demerle, Carley Seabrooke, Ashlyn Blake, Rylie Passmore, Camryn Camp, Bremen Butler, and Danjela Jordan De Jesus.
The men’s rifle athletes are currently competing in their championship. The 2024 USA Shooting Pistol Junior Olympics will be held next at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center April 11-17.
View unofficial scores here: https://bit.ly/49ovUNs
View photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usashooti ... 0315912464
Junior Olympics is the first half of the selection procedures for the 2024 International Shooting Sports Federation Junior World Championships, taking place this fall in Lima, Peru. The second half of selection will be the 2024 USA Shooting National Championships in June.
USA Shooting would like to thank The NRA Foundation, our sole platinum sponsor, and Safari Club International, one of our gold sponsors, for their continued support to shooting sports across the nation. Learn more about our supporters: https://usashooting.org/get-involved/sponsors/