Rio 2016

[Thomas Monto]

On September 7, Paralympic athletes everywhere will celebrate the one-year countdown to the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. USA Shooting Team athletes are busy preparing for their opportunity, trying to secure more than the two country quotas they have already earned. Two remaining World Cups this season will determine the fate of a program that has made huge strides since sending two athletes to London in 2012.

“We approach one-year out with great anticipation but also with lots of unknowns since we still have two World Cups in which to earn quotas,” said Paralympic National Team Coach Bob Foth. “We’re assured two spots in Rio already and we’re really striving to obtain more, despite the greater resources and competitive experience of many of those we’re competing against. The depth we’ve added to our program since 2012 is enormous and that translates into more Paralympic opportunity for more athletes. We’ll see who seizes the opportunities coming up. No matter how it turns out, we’re proud of how far we’ve come and have great hopes for the future.”