Blount Claims Gold; Junior and Open Women’s Skeet Teams Take Silver at World Clay Target Championships

The Women’s Skeet event was held today at the 2007 World Clay Target Championships with Emily Blount (Tucson, Ariz.) claiming a gold medal for the junior women and both the junior and open women taking home silver in the team event.

Blount, who was the 2006 World Shooting Champion in Junior Women’s Skeet, took the gold today after finishing with a total score of 70 targets and a shoot off with Slovakia’s Monika Zemkova. Jaiden Grinnell (Port Angeles, Wash.) finished in 9th place for the Junior Skeet Women with 64 targets and Sally Coggins (Bogart, Ga.) took 11th place with 62 targets.

Three-time Olympic medalist (1996 and 2004 gold, 2000 bronze) Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.) ended the qualification tied with three other competitors at 71 targets and won a shoot off to get into the finals. Haley Dunn (Eddyville, Iowa), a 2007 Pan American Games Gold Medalist, entered the finals in fourth place with a score of 72 targets and finished the competition in fourth place with a total of 95. Rhode took sixth place with 94 targets. Two-time Olympian Connie Smotek (Bryan, Texas) finished in 21st place with a total of 67.

Germany’s Christine Brinkler won the gold with a score of 98, while Ning Wei of China took the silver with 97 and Italy’s Chiara Cainero claimed the bronze with a final score of 96 targets.

In the team competition, Dunn, Rhode and Smotek grabbed the silver medal for the U.S. with a score of 210. China claimed the gold with 214 and Italy took the bronze with 204. Blount, Grinnell and Coggins took the silver for the junior women with a score of 196, while Russia won the gold with 198 and the team from Cyprus took the bronze with 179.

Thirty shotgun shooters are representing the U.S. this week at the 2007 World Clay Target Championships. The event is taking take place at the Nicosia Olympic Shooting Range, in the area of Latsia, on the outskirts of Nicosia, Cyprus and runs through September 9.

For complete results throughout the World Clay Target Championships, please visit www.issf.tv />
Thursday, September 6
Skeet Junior Men, 50 Targets
Trap Men, 50 Targets
Final, Trap Men

Friday, September 7
Official Training, Trap Junior Men
Official Training, Skeet Men
Official Training, Trap Junior Women
Official Training, Trap Women

Saturday, September 8
Trap Junior Women, 75 Targets
Trap Junior Men, 75 Targets
Skeet Men, 75 Targets
Trap Women, 75 Targets
Final, Trap Women

Sunday, September 9
Skeet Men, 50 Targets
Final, Skeet Men