Olympic Trials Begin Monday for Smallbore Rifle and Pistol

[USA Shooting]

Olympic Trials Begin Monday for Smallbore Rifle and Pistol
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (September 27, 2019)
The nation’s best smallbore shooters are set to compete in Fort Benning, Georgia, at the 2019 USA Shooting Rifle and Pistol Smallbore Fall Selection event from October 1-4. The event serves as the first half of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and competitors will attempt to position themselves to be in contention for next summer’s Olympic Team. The scores from this competition will be added to the scores from the second phase of the trials taking place in March of next year to determine which athletes will represent the U.S. in Tokyo.

The men’s pistol field includes three-time Olympian Keith Sanderson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) shooting rapid fire, along with Olympic quota winner in the event, Henry Leverett (Bainbridge, Ga.) who secured the quota at the 2019 World Cup in Beijing, China. Competing on the women’s side are both quota winners – Alexis Lagan (Boulder City, Nev.) and Sandra Uptagrafft (Phenix City, Ala.). Lagan won her quota at the 2018 Championship of the Americas in Guadalajara, Mexico, while Uptagrafft earned her quota at the recent Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

USA rifle athletes have earned the maximum of two Olympic quota places in both the men’s smallbore 3x40 and women’s smallbore 3x40 events, therefore the top two athletes in each event at the end of the trials in March will be named to the Olympic team.

The men’s rifle field includes 2019 national champion and Pan Am Games gold medalist Tim Sherry (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and world championship bronze medalist Michael McPhail (Darlington, Wis.), both of the Army Marksmanship Unit. Olympic quota place winners Sarah Beard (Danville, Ind.) and Ginny Thrasher (Springfield, Va.) headline the women’s rifle field. Their most recent accomplishments include a Pan Am Games gold medal for Beard and a national championship title for Thrasher.

Full selection procedures can be found here.

2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Schedule

Tuesday, October 1 – Women’s 3x40 & Sport Pistol

Wednesday, October 2 – Women’s 3x40 & Sport Pistol

Thursday, October 3 – Rapid Fire Pistol & Men’s 3x40

Friday, October 4 – Rapid Fire Pistol & Men’s 3x40

Full schedule here.