Retired Soldier leads at World Cup

[usamu]

By USA Shooting

GRENADA, Spain – After the first day of competition at the International Shooting Sports Federation 2006 World Cup Finals, Team USA shotgunner retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Bret E. Erickson is in second place in the Men’s Trap event.

Scoring a 24, 24 and 25 in the first three qualifying rounds, Erickson’s combined total was 73 to tie Russia’s Alexey Alipov. The pair only trail David Kostelecky of the Czech Republic by two points.

Shooting on his birthday, Team USA’s Air Force Capt. Michael Herman didn’t fare as well on the first day of competition. He posted an 11th place finish after shooting a 65.

Both Erickson, a three-time shotgun Olympian who recently retired from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Benning, Ga., and Herman will shoot in the second round of trap Oct. 5. With finals following in the afternoon, the pair will be the only U.S. athletes shooting in the World Cup Finals for the day.

In the Women’s Trap event, Russia topped the charts winning both the Gold and Bronze. Elena Tkach took top honors with her combined score of 90, while Slovakia’s Zuzana Stefecekova finished in second at 87 points. Separating Silver from Bronze was only one point. Russia’s Irina Laricheva finished third with an 86 total score.

USAMU’s Sgt. 1st Class Theresa E. DeWitt finished in ninth in the Women’s Trap. She shot a 20, 21, and 20 in the first three rounds. The total score of 61 was not enough to qualify her for final shots.

The women’s skeet showed serious action with the top three finishers all within one point of each other. Italy’s Chiara Cainero earned herself the Gold with 96 points, followed by another strong finish from Slovakia by Danka Bartekova who shot a 95. The Bronze medalist was Russia’s Erdzhanik Avetisyan. Avetisyan earned 94 points to round out the tight competition.

Returning World Cup Finals champion in the women’s skeet Haley Dunn of Eddyville, Iowa, took a stumble to ninth, while two-time Olympian Connie Smotek of Bryan, Texas, finished in 10th place. The women earned total scores of 66 and 63, respectively.

U.S. Athlete World Cup Finals Schedule
October 5
* Men’s Trap, Round 2 and Finals
October 6
* Women’s 50-Meter Three-Position Sport Rifle, Round 1 and Finals
October 7
* Men’s Double Trap, Round 1 and Finals
* Men’s 50-Meter Free Rifle Prone, Round 1 and Finals
(Formed in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to raise the standards of marksmanship throughout the U.S. Army, the Army Marksmanship Unit is assigned to the Accessions Support Brigade of the U.S. Army Accessions Command. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436, paula.pagan@usaac.army.mil or www.usamu.com. USA Shooting is recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Shooting Sport Federation as the national governing body for the Olympic and international shooting sports in the United States. For more information on USA Shooting, contact Public Relations Manager Najasila Campbell at (719) 866-4896 or http://www.usashooting.com.)