‘08 Olympic Gold Medalist Glenn Eller Elevates Game in New Double Trap Format

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (May 16, 2013) – Glenn Eller (Houston, Texas), the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, has shown he might be rounding back into form that led him to his triumph in Beijing.  With a win Wednesday at the USA Shooting Spring Selection Match on his home range in Fort Benning, Ga., he’s now climbed to the top again among America’s elite Double Trap competitors. Eller led after Day 1 Tuesday with 145 hits of 150 targets and at the close of Day 2 he continued to lead the field with 283 hits of 300 targets. In the final, he hit 27 of 30 targets, giving him a total score of 310 and enough to hold on for the win.

“This gives me confidence going into the rest of the year,” he said. “I’ve been training hard with my new setup, getting used to the new game and what fundamentals I need to shoot the new game properly. I still have a lot of work to do, but I think I’ve set up a good base for the rest of the year and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Taking second was one of Eller’s U. S. Army Marksmanship Unit teammates Derek Haldeman (Sunbury, Ohio) who finished with a total score of 307. Rounding out the USAMU domination of the event was Jeff Holguin (Yorba Linda, Calif.) who finished this match with the highest score in the finals (29), but his total score of 303 placed him in third.

Eller, Haldeman and Holguin will represent the United States at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Granada, Spain in July and the World Clay Target Championships in Lima, Peru in September.

In the Junior Competition, Billy Crawford (Johnstown, Ohio) who placed fourth in the men’s double trap event finished first in the junior field. Finishing second and third were Ian Rupert (Muncy, Pa.) and Christian Wilkoski (Centerburg, Ohio) respectively. Crawford won the 2012 National Championships while Rupert earned a World Cup bronze medal earlier this year in Acapulco, Mexico.  They will join Eller, Haldeman and Holguin at the World Cup in Granada, Spain and at the World Clay Target Championships. Wilkoski also earned a berth at the World Clay Target Championships.

Putting the finishing touches on USA Shooting’s Spring Selection Match will be Men’s and Women’s Trap.  Brian Burrows (Fallbrook, Calif.) has proven to be the man to beat at the moment given his recent success at the 2012 National Championships, Fall Selection and the World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico.   The winning athlete in each of USA Shooting’s premier events in 2012, Burrows began this season by earning the silver medal during the year’s first World Cup.

Chasing Burrows are plenty of top-ranked competitors eager for this year’s World Cup and World Championship opportunities.   Ryan Hadden (Pendleton, Ore.) is shooting on his home range and will be eager to stand atop the podium after smelling World Cup success early in 2012 with a gold medal in the Tucson (Ariz.) World Cup.  Hadden deployed to Afghanistan shortly thereafter but is back to earn his spot on Team USA for matches throughout the summer.  Matt Gossett (Springville, Ala.) finished behind Burrows at Fall Selection and has been training on the USAMU range while attending Auburn University.  Three-time Olympian Lance Bade (Vancouver, Wash.) has also re-emerged among national contenders after a second-place finish at last year’s National Championships in Colorado Springs.  Also in the mix will be National Development Team members John Mullins (Port Orchard, Wash.), Collin Wietfeldt (Hemlock, Mich.) and Jake Wallace (Castiac, Calif.) along with National Junior Team member Dakotah Richardson (Godley, Texas).

The women’s side is just as packed with capable talent highlighted by two-time Olympian and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Corey Cogdell (Eagle River, Alaska) along with two-time National Champion Rachael Heiden (Clinton, Mich.).  Heiden recently finished sixth at the Acapulco World Cup while Cogdell had an extended break away from the game following the 2012 Olympic Games.  Four-time National Junior Olympic champion Miranda Wilder (West Newton, Pa.) will also be in the mix of title contenders and is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Acapulco World Cup.  Others likely to be in the mix will be National Team athlete Janessa Beaman (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 2011 National Champion, 2012 Olympic Trials runner-up and 2012 London World Cup bronze medalist Kayle Browning (Wooster, Ark.) along with Fall Selection standouts Ashley Carroll (Solvang, Calif.) and Kimberly Bowers (Lafayette, Calif.).

Final results from this match can be found here: http://www.usashooting.org/library/Competitions/2013_SG_SS/2013_SG_SS_Scores.xls

Read about the skeet competition at Spring Selection here: http://www.usashooting.org/news/2013/5/12/384-hancock-eyes-perfection-while-drozd-captures-first-open-title-at-spring-selection-match

 

Double Trap World Cup Selection – Granada, Spain

Glenn Eller (Houston, Texas)

Derek Haldeman (Sunbury, Ohio)

Jeff Holguin (Yorba Linda, Calif.)

Billy Crawford (Johnstown, Ohio)

Ian Rupert (Muncy, Pa.)

Double Trap World Cup Selection – Nicosia, Cyprus

Billy Crawford (Johnstown, Ohio)

Josh Richmond (Hillsgrove, Pa.)

Ian Rupert (Muncy, Pa.)

Christian Wilkoski (Centerburg, Ohio)

Christopher Webster (Bainbridge, Ga.)

World Clay Target Championships – Lima, Peru

Glenn Eller (Houston, Texas)

Derek Haldeman (Sunbury, Ohio)

Jeff Holguin (Yorba Linda, Calif.)

Billy Crawford (Johnstown, Ohio)

Ian Rupert (Muncy, Pa.)

Christian Wilkoski (Centerburg, Ohio)

About USA Shooting:
USA Shooting, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the United States Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of shooting in April 1995. USA Shooting’s mission is to prepare American athletes to win Olympic medals, promote the shooting sports throughout the U.S. and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country. Check us out on the web at www.usashooting.org and on Twitter at twitter.com/USAShooting.