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Our men's AP team took fifth in the World Championships 577,576,575 Rose Szarenski,Turner in order.

Here's the USA Shooting - press release regarding the event.

ZAGREB, Croatia - China's Wei Pang won the men's air pistol event today at the Vrapcanski Potok shooting range in Zagreb, Croatia.

Pang shot a 584 qualifying score, plus a 99.8 in the final for a 683.8 total score in the first event of the World Shooting Championships. Thailand's Jakkrit Panichpatikum took second, finishing with a 683.0 (582 +101.0) total score, while Vladimir Gontcharov, of Russia, won the bronze with his score of 681.1 (581 +100.1)

Sgt. First Class Thomas Rose, of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), Sgt. First Class Daryl Szarenski, also of the USAMU, and Olympic Training Center resident athlete Jason Turner didn't perform any miracles in this match, as they continued to shoot right around or below their average score.

Rose, who was this year's National Champion in men's air, marked the highest U.S. men's score, shooting a 577 for 21st place.

"I had a rough start," Rose said after the match. "I definitely need to find a better way to get into my grove during the warm-up, instead of a round into my match. But, I'm pretty sure I can take that lesson and apply it to the next match I compete in."

Rose shot a 93 in his first round, but rebounded thereafter shooting a consistent 96, 96, 98, 97, and 97 throughout the next five rounds.

2004 Olymipians in this event, Szarenski and Turner finished with a 576 and a 575, respectively. Szarenski placed 27th out of the 134 competitors, while Turner walked away in 36th. Both agreed that it wasn't that they shot terrible in this match, they just didn't shoot great.

As a team, the U.S. finished in fifth, just behind China, Russia, France and the People's Republic of Korea.

Later in the day, the USA's two junior men finished with season-best scores in air pistol. Cody Owsley finished with a 572 qualifying score, taking 10th place, while Anthony Lutz shot a 568, winding up in 24th. Both Owsley and Lutz hail from Tonganoxie, Kan., and have been on the U.S. National Development Team for two years.

China also dominated the junior men's air pistol event, placing two of its three competitors in the top-three and winning the team gold in this event.

Unfortunately, the U.S junior women's air pistol competitors didn't fare as well as their male counterparts. They were, however, able to use this match as a great learning experience. Fifteen-year-old Heather Deppe, of Alexandria, Minn., finished with a 360 qualifying score, while 17-year-old Michelle Everett shot a 346 in her first international match ever.

It's a little disappointing," Deppe said, "but to look on the bright side -- I was able to come away from this match with a much better understanding of what I need to do and what kind of mindset I need to be in, in order to compete on this level."

The winning score for the junior women's air pistol event was a 384, shot by Brankica Zaric, of Serbia