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May 16th, 2009
 Lones (pronounced “lon-ess”) Wigger is the first and only American shooter to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. At the NRA annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, we were privileged to chat with Wigger at the Eley booth where he is answering questions and providing information about Eley products.
We discussed many topics, ranging from Cold War politics (he was not allowed to shoot in the 1980 Moscow Olympics due to the U.S.A. boycott), to barrel tuners. Wigger is a true legend among American shooters, having participated as shooter or coach with five USA Olympic teams. He also set many world records during his long shooting career. In the video below, Wigger talks about his Hall of Fame Olympic accomplishments, and offers advice to young persons getting started in competitive shooting.
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April 19th, 2009
Competition at the second leg of the 2009 ISSF World Cup Series commenced in Beijing, China on April 18 and will conclude April 23. Sixteen U.S. rifle and pistol shooters will be competing in Beijing, which will be familiar ground for 2008 Olympians Jamie Beyerle (Lebanon, PA), Brian Beaman (Selby, SD), Keith Sanderson (San Antonio, TX) and 2008 bronze medalist Jason Turner (Rochester, NY). These four Olympians competed in the same venue at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing last August.
The U.S. is looking to add to their 2009 World Cup medal tally in Beijing, as Sanderson is coming off a silver medal win in Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol in Changwon, Korea earlier this week. Sanderson was an Olympic finalist and record holder at the 2008 Games in Beijing. For updated news and results during the Beijing ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup, please visit the ISSF website. Daily results (with photos of winning shooters) are found on the ISSF Latest News Page.
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March 5th, 2009
Katerina Emmons, the wife of U. S. shooter Matt Emmons, was selected by a panel of international shooting sports journalists as the 2008 International Female Shooter of the Year. Katerina, who competes for the Czech Republic, won gold and silver medals in the Beijing Olympic Games in women’s air rifle and three-position smallbore rifle. Katerina opened the 2008 Games by winning the very first Gold medal of the Beijing Olympics in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle. She also established two world records during her outstanding year of competition. Katerina now lives in the USA with husband Matt (who finished second in the journalists’ voting for ISSF male shooter of the year). Katerina and Matt Emmons are now looking forward to the birth of their first child in April.
Photo courtesy Fédération Française de Tir
Korean pistol shooter Jin Jong Oh was selected as the 2009 Male International Shooter of the Year, ahead of Matt Emmons. Jin won gold and silver medals in Beijing in the men’s free pistol and air pistol events. USA skeet Olympic gold medalist Vince Hancock was third in the voting. A full report on the International Shooters of the Year and the vote totals are posted on the ISSF website.
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January 29th, 2009
 Kim Rhode has competed in four Olympic Games for the United States, winning Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals in shotgun events. She won those medals with a cherished Perazzi MX12 shotgun, a firearm used by Kim throughout her competitive shooting career. Rhode took her trusty 12-gauge Perazzi to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and became the youngest female gold medalist in the history of Olympic shooting. She won a bronze in double trap at the the 2000 Sydney Games and then won her second gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games. In her 4th Olympic Games, she won a silver medal in skeet shooting in Beijing.
Sadly, Rhode’s gold-medal-winning Perazzi was stolen last September in Lake Elsinore, California, when thieves smashed the window of her truck and grabbed the shotgun which was stored in a locked case.
The theft was highly publicized, and Perazzi generously provided Rhode with a replacement. However, she still missed the trusty MX12 that had carried her to so many victories. She told the media last September: “there’s just no words to describe what the gun means to me…(it’s) a part of me. I’ve traveled all over the world with it.”
Well, there is a happy ending to the story. This week, Rhode was re-united with her Olympic scattergun. On Jan. 27th, Rhode received a call from the Riverside, CA Sheriff’s Department. It turns out that, during a parole inspection at the residence of convicted felon Gergorio Macias, Sheriff’s deputies found the shotgun, still in the original case. The gun itself was undamaged — except for the fact that Macias (or the original thieves) had removed the stickers and decals Rhode had collected over many seasons of international competition.
Rhode was reunited with her Olympic shotgun at a press conference in California this week. She says she plans to use her “old friend” in her quest to compete at the 2012 Olympics in London. According to Jim Shepherd, of the Outdoor Wire, Rhode declared: “I’m planning on getting more stickers… and I plan to include one from London (the next Olympics). This has helped me decide that for the next Olympics, I’m sure going for it.”
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November 18th, 2008
USA Shooting, the governing body of the Olympic shooting sports for the United States, has announced that 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Glenn Eller of Katy, Texas, and Silver Medalist Kim Rhode of El Monte, Calif., have been selected as the 2008 USA Shooting Athletes of the Year. Other Olympians receiving honors as Discipline Athletes of the Year were Matt Emmons of Browns Mills, N.J., for men’s rifle, Jamie Beyerle of Lebanon, Pa., for women’s rifle, and Jason Turner of Rochester, N.Y., for men’s pistol. Eller and Rhode’s names will be submitted to the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) for consideration for the 2008 USOC SportsMan and SportsWoman of the Year awards.
 Four-time Olympian Kimberly Rhode, who was also the 2007 USAS Female Athlete of the year, captured her fourth career Olympic medal in Beijing when she brought home the silver in Women’s Skeet. She won the silver medal at the World Cup in Kerrville, Texas in May and finished in fourth place at the World Cup Suhl and also at the World Cup Final in Minsk, Belarus. Rhode won the Women’s Skeet event at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and was also the 2008 National Champion. Rhode finished in second place at the Shotgun Fall Selection Match, claiming a spot on the 2009 World Shotgun Championship team.
Three-time Olympian Eller, a member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), claimed the first Olympic medal of his career when he captured the Men’s Double Trap gold in Beijing this past August. He also claimed the silver medal at the Beijing World Cup in April, which served as the test event for the Olympic Games and placed fourth at both World Cup Kerrville and World Cup Suhl. Nationally, Eller finished in first place overall at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Shotgun and also claimed the top spots at the Shotgun National Championships and Shotgun Fall Selection Match, landing himself a spot on the 2009 World Shotgun Championship team.
Photos courtesy USAMU and USA Shooting, All Rights Reserved.
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August 12th, 2008
Competiting in his third Olympics, Spc. Walton Glenn Eller III of the USAMU has finally won Gold. Eller, a Texas native, set two Olympic records in the Men’s Double Trap competition today to win the Gold Medal — the first American shooting gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Games.
CLICK HERE to Watch Mens’ Double Trap Finals VIDEO. Eller clinches the Gold Medal at the 37’50”-minute mark in the video.
CLICK HERE for PHOTO GALLERY of Mens’ Double Trap with Award Ceremony
Eller, who finished 12th at the Sydney Games and 17th in Athens, entered the final round today four targets ahead of Italy’s Francesco D’Aniello with a qualification score of 145 — a new Olympic record. The previous Olympic record of 144 was set by Ahmed Almaktoum of the United Arab Emirates at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
photo courtesy USAMU
Slow Start in Finals then Another Olympic Record
After missing his first pair in the final, Eller ended up shooting 45 targets and finished with a total score of 190 targets, setting another Olympic record and taking home the Gold. “I was so happy after I won, but I didn’t know whether to cry, smile or jump up and down,” said Eller. “After my performances in the last two Olympics, I really wanted to come here and bring home a medal for the U.S. This is definitely one of the greatest moments of my life so far.”
D’ Aniello took the Silver with 187 targets, while the Bronze Medal was won by Hu Binyuan of China with 184 targets. Jeff Holguin of Yorba Linda, Calif., finished fourth. D’Aniello and Hu both hit 46 targets each, the best scores in the finals. Two previous Olympic Champions, Russell Mark of Australia and Richard Faulds of Britain, were also in the Finals.
For complete shooting results, visit the official Beijing 2008 Olympic Games website.
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August 11th, 2008
During past Olympic Games, it was difficult to find ANY coverage of shooting events, much less real-time video, or comprehensive match scores. In the past, the main broadcast channels might feature one or two events, but only if an American was likely to win a medal. For 2008, that has all changed. NBC has dedicated vast resources to providing in-depth, web-based coverage of ALL Olympic events, including shooting sports. On the NBC Olympics website, you’ll find the latest shooting event results, complete with scores, photos, and videos. There is even a special Inside This Sport section that provides technical information, with specifics on the firearms used, and the courses of fire. The NBC Olympics website is a treasure-trove of information, updated many times daily.
CLICK HERE for Main Olympics Shooting Web Page
OLYMPIC SHOOTING Feature Pages
INSIDE the SPORT (Rules, Equipment, Shooting Formats, Glossary)
SHOOTING VIDEO Page (Event Videos plus Background Stories)
NEWS and FEATURES (Late-Breaking News and Special Interest Stories)
RESULTS and SCHEDULES (Match Scores, Event and Broadcast Times)
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August 9th, 2008
Katerina Emmons, representing the Czech Republic, won the first gold medal of the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the women’s 10m air rifle competition. Katie was the only woman to shoot a perfect 400 score in the qualifying round. This equaled the World Record and set a new Olympic Record. The previous Olympic Record was 399. In the finals, Katerina posted a 103.5 score, giving her a final tally of 503.5, beating the previous Olympic record of 502.0 set by China’s Du Li in 2004. It was a stellar performance by a popular champion who started shooting at age 14, tutored by her father, Petr Kurka, a double world champion in three positions.
Photo courtesy Fédération Française de Tir
CLICK HERE for story on official Olympics website.
Photo 1: Katerina kisses Anschütz rifle
Photo 2: Katerina kisses husband Matt Emmons
Photo 3: Katerina celebrates with coach
Photo 4: Katerina holds Gold Medal
Katerina married USA Olympic shooter Matt Emmons last year. The two shooters met at the 2004 Olympics in Athens where she won her first Olympic Medal (Bronze, 10m Air Rifle) competing under her maiden name Katerina Kurkova. After winning gold in Beijing, Katerina moved to the front row of the gallery to embrace her father and then kiss husband Matt. It was a touching moment for the “First Couple” of the Olympic shooting world. “She did a fantastic job. I’m so proud of her,” Matt Emmons told Reuters.
CLICK HERE for full story on how Katerina met Matt Emmons.
New Gold Medalist Shoots Anschütz
Katerina was shooting an Anschütz compressed air rifle similar to the Anschütz model 9003 shown below. With sights mounted, a model 9003 is 42.5″ long and weighs 4.4 kg (9.68 lbs.).
COMMENTARY — Katerina’s First-of-Games Gold Medal a Boon to Shooting Sports
Katerina’s record-setting air rifle victory, being the first gold-medal performance of the 2008 Games, is exactly the kind of positive publicity the shooting community needs. Katerina is a perfect champion — modest, personable, and attractive. She has already become a “Cover Girl” for this Olympic games. And it is great that she is married to a fellow shooter.
 Hundreds of millions of TV and internet viewers worldwide were touched to see how she went to the stands to hug and kiss her husband after her shooting victory. We predict that will become one of the defining “video moments” of the 2008 Olympics.
Katerina’s highly-publicized Olympic win will help counter negative perceptions about the shooting sports. It also shows that shooting is not all about strength and brawn. Her success, we hope, should insprire many young women to try shooting. A diminutive 5’5″ and 118 pounds, Katerina has proven that shooting can be a sport for everyone, regardless of size, gender, age, or nationality. We salute her achievement and we think her Gold-medal win will help increase public interest in competitive shooting worldwide.
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July 29th, 2008
Members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Shooting team will be featured in an hour-long repeat special of Shooting USA on the Outdoor Channel on Wednesday, July 30 and Wednesday, August 20. The show will air at 4:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 12:00 midnight (ET). Check your local listings or visit www.shootingusa.com or www.outdoorchannel.com for more details.
Photos courtesy USAShooting.org
Shooting USA will profile the competitors and explain the various Olympic shooting disciplines: Air pistol, Air rifle, Smallbore pistol, Smallbore rifle prone, Smallbore rifle 3-position, Skeet shotgun, Trap shotgun. Among the featured competitors will be Olympic Gold Medalists Matt Emmons (Air rifle, Smallbore rifle), and Kim Rhode (Skeet/Trap).
Television and Internet Shooting Sports Coverage for Beijing Olympics
NBC will offer regular broadcast coverage of some Olympic shooting events. In addition, internet users can view live streaming video of shooting events from Beijing as part of 2,200 hours of coverage on NBCOlympics.com. The NBC Olympics website will cover Matt Emmons as he tries for double gold, and cover Kimberly Rhode in her fourth Olympics. If you miss a live television broadcast, more than 3,000 hours of on-demand access to full-event replays and extensive highlights, including daily recaps of key events, best-of montages, commentator analysis and athlete-specific clips and interviews, will be available on NBCOlympics.com. For more info, visit USAShooting.org.
NBC has prepared a complete broadcast schedule for the 2008 Olympic Games. The shooting events are highlighted in yellow. Click the Links below to download broadcast schedule and shooting events schedule as MS Word files.
Complete NBC Broadcast Schedule for the 2008 Olympic Games
Complete 2008 Olympic Shooting Competition Schedule
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January 3rd, 2008
 We live in a digital, electronic era. The very story you’re reading right now consists of digital data packets transmitted electronically around the globe. Because of cost factors, 99+% of shooting matches in the USA still rely on old-fashioned manual scoring methods. However, target scoring can be done faster and more precisely with electronic scoring systems. Olympic and international CISM shooting competitions now employ electronic target systems. And electronic scoring is widely used in Europe already.
Below is a video showing an electronic scoring system developed by Norway’s Kongsberg Mikroelektronikk AS. Watch as a prone shooter puts five rounds on a 300m target. You can see the group form on the video screen at his shooting station. He’s a good shooter (with an accurate rifle). The first three shots are touching.
As you can see from the video, viewing shots on the monitor is easier than using a spotting scope and waiting for targets to be marked. The electronic target eliminates the need for a crew of target pullers in the pits. Click on the image to go to our VIDEO VAULT page. The electronic scoring video is the first item in the menu.
The Kongsberg system, like the electronic systems produced by Sius Ascor of Switzerland, do more than just display shot locations to the shooter. The target units automatically calculate scores, which are transmitted to a central computer. This can provide updated competitor rankings, and can even display the results to event spectators on large view screens.
CLICK HERE for a longer streaming Flash VIDEO showing how electronic target systems work.
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