COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (March 1, 2018)
Twenty-three USA Shooting athletes will ring in the 2018 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) competition season south of the border when the World Cup for Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun kicks off tomorrow in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Leading the U.S. team will be USA Shooting’s Female and Male Athletes of the Year, six-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode (El Monte, California, pictured) and three-time Olympian Keith Sanderson (Colorado Springs, Colorado).
Not only did Rhode medal in every World Cup in 2017, she finished fourth at the World Championship, then went on to win the ISSF World Cup Final. Just before winning her third career World Cup Final gold, she also won the Fall Selection Match to secure her spot at this World Cup. The Women’s Skeet legend was also named the 2017 ISSF Shooter of the Year.
Sanderson, who won gold at the ISSF World Cup Final in Men’s Rapid Fire Pistol, punched his ticket to this match with a dominating performance in the Fall Selection Match. Sanderson had earned so many points in Qualification that he had secured the win before he could earn additional selection points in the Final.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist and reigning Men’s Skeet National Champion Vincent Hancock (Eatonton, Georgia) will make his return to international competition at this World Cup after taking the year off following the 2016 Olympic Games. During the four-day selection match, Hancock only dropped three targets over 10 rounds to secure the win in a shootoff over his two-time Olympic teammate Frank Thompson (Alliance, Nebraska), who will also compete at the World Cup.
Also winning their slots to attend this match are a pair of young guns who will make their international Open Division debuts: 16-year-olds Grayson Davey (Anchorage, Alaska) and Katelyn Abeln (Douglasville, Georgia).
Davey came virtually out of nowhere to win the Men’s Trap competition at Fall Selection. He will be joined in Men’s Trap by Jake Wallace (Castaic, California) and 18-year-old Mick Wertz (Muncy, Pennsylvania). This World Cup is Davey and Wertz’s first international competition.
Abeln edged out two Olympians to win the top spot in Women’s Sport Pistol at her Fall Selection match. In addition to Sport Pistol, she will also compete in Air Pistol and the newly-minted Olympic event, Mixed Air Pistol Team.
The U.S. athletes for this match were selected based on performances at their discipline’s respective Fall Selection matches and Winter Airgun Championships.
More than 400 athletes from 50 countries are expected to compete at this ISSF World Cup in 15 medal events. This World Cup concludes on March 12. Complete results can be found daily at http://www.issf-sports.org/competitions ... hipid=2390.
ISSF World Cup Guadalajara Finals Schedule
Most Finals will be streamed live via the ISSF website: http://www.issf-sports.org/pages/livestream.ashx
(All times listed are for Guadalajara, which is one hour behind Eastern Time.)
Saturday, March 3rd
10m Air Pistol Men at 11:15 am
10m Air Rifle Women at 1:15 pm
Sunday, March 4th
10m Air Rifle Men at 11:15 am
10m Air Pistol Women at 1:15 pm
Monday, March 5th
10m Air Rifle Mixed Team at 10:45 am
10m Air Pistol Mixed Team at 12:15 pm
Trap Women at 4:00 pm
Tuesday, March 6th
Trap Men at 5:00 pm
Wednesday, March 7th
Trap Mixed Team at 3:30 pm
Thursday, March 8th
50m Rifle 3 Positions Women at 12:45 pm
25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men at 2:30 pm
Saturday, March 10th
25m Pistol Women at 12:30 pm
50m Rifle 3 Positions Men at 2:15 pm
Skeet Women at 5:00 pm
Sunday, March 11th
Skeet Men at 5:00 pm