Haley Dunn Takes Bronze in Women’s Skeet at Beijing

[USA Shooting]

BEIJING, China (April 17, 2008) – The Women's Skeet final of the "Good Luck Beijing" ISSF World Cup was held today with Haley Dunn (Eddyville, Iowa) claiming the bronze medal for the U.S.

At the end of the final qualification round, Dunn, the 2007 World Cup Santo Domingo and Pan American Games gold medalist, was in a three-way tie for second place entering the final. She shot an excellent final, only missing one target and remained in a three-way tie at 94 targets. In a shoot-off between Dunn, Diana Bacosi of Italy and Nathalie Larsson of Sweden, Dunn broke the first pair of targets perfectly, but on the second pair, dropped one target and fell out of contention for the silver medal. Bacosi hit both her pairs to claim the silver, but Larsson dropped one, forcing another shoot-off between Dunn and Larsson for the bronze.

In the second shoot-off, Larsson missed one target, while Dunn hit both of her targets, giving her the bronze, while Larsson took fourth place.

China's Wei Ning claimed the gold in the Women’s Skeet event with a score of 97 targets. Zhang Shan, also from China, finished in fifth place with 92 targets and. Chiara Cainero of Italy took sixth with 91 targets.



Three-time Olympic medalist (1996 and 2004 gold medalist, 2000 bronze medalist) Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.), who qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in Women’s Skeet at the Shotgun Olympic Trials in March, finished in 10th place at the Beijing World Cup with a score of 67 targets.



The "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 ISSF World Cup is being held at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall and Beijing Shooting Range Clay-Target Field (CTF). Competition continues Friday with the Men’s 50m Prone Rifle final and the event will conclude on the 20th.

This event is the only shooting competition where athletes will be able to test their shooting skills at the new Olympic shooting venues prior to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The Beijing Games will be held August 8–24, with the shooting portion of the competition taking place August 9-17.

More than 1200 shooters from 92 countries are competing in the Beijing World Cup, which makes this competition the largest shooting event ever in China. Thirty-five Olympians and Olympic hopefuls from the U.S. will be competing in 15 different men’s and women’s events during this nine day competition.

For complete results from all of the events at the "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 ISSF World Cup, please visit www.issf.tv or www.shooting2008.org/en/