Parker Wins Gold in 50m 3-Position Rifle at ISSF World Cup

USAMU shooter SFC Jason Parker, the 2011 Continental American Champion, won the 50m Three Position (3P) Rifle event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Rifle & Pistol World Cup in Milan, Italy. With an overall score of 1273.1 points, Parker topped runner-up Niccolò Campriani (Italy), by almost three points, earning the American soldier his fifth ISSF World Cup Gold medal. Jason apparently likes Italy — in 2001 SFC Parker won an ISSF World Cup Gold medal in Milan.

SFC Parker told reporters: “I won my first international medal ever here in Milan, so it’s great to be back on this podium. We have our national Olympic trials kicking off in a few days: the 2012 Olympic team will be decided there. It’s good to walk into the trials knowing that everything works fine, and that I can score well under pressure.”

Despite extremely windy conditions in Milan, SFC Parker shot a great match. Parket noted: “I am quite confident with the wind. I adjusted my sights with a couple of clicks and knew how to react. I had no problems.” Team USA shooting coach, Major Dave Johnson, praised Parker: “This was a vintage performance from Jason today. There wasn’t anything truly big or flashy about the way he shot, but he made no mistakes all day and was just very consistent.”

Watch Highlights from Mens’ 50m 3-Position in ISSF World Cup Milan

Twenty-one USA Shooting athletes, including 10 Olympians, are in Italy for their final International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup event before the London 2012 Olympic Games. The ISSF World Cup in Rifle and Pistol events continues tomorrow with Women’s 50m Three-Position Rifle, Women’s 25m Pistol and Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol. Through three days of competition, the USA Shooting Team has earned three top-10 finishes following a sixth-place finish for Sarah Scherer (Woburn, Mass.) and a 10th-place finish by Jamie Gray (Lebanon, Pa.) in Women’s 10m Air Rifle.