Report based on NSSF News Release
We congratulate the USA Shooting team on its achievements at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where team members earned five medals (1 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze). The 2024 Paris Olympics saw many firsts for USA Shooting, marking a significant chapter in the history of U.S. shooting sports. See all of Team USA’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games medals below:
Vincent Hancock: Gold, Men’s Skeet
Conner Prince: Silver, Men’s Skeet
Austen Smith: Bronze, Women’s Skeet
Vincent Hancock and Austen Smith: Silver, Mixed Team Skeet
Sagen Maddalena: Silver, Women’s 50m Smallbore Rifle
Vincent Hancock Secures Gold in Men’s Skeet and Silver in Mixed Skeet
Vincent Hancock’s victory in Paris cements his place among the greatest Olympic shooters ever. Earning his fourth gold medal in men’s skeet, Hancock joins an elite group of athletes who have also won four gold medals — competitors such as Michael Phelps, Carl Lewis, and Katie Ledecky. Competing at the Châteauroux Shooting Range, Hancock delivered an almost flawless performance. In the finals, Hancock hit 58 out of 60 targets, securing the gold medal.
Conner Prince Takes Silver in Men’s Skeet
In his Olympic debut, Conner Prince delivered a remarkable performance, claiming silver in Men’s Skeet. His achievement, alongside Hancock’s, marks the first time Team USA has secured multiple medals in this event at a single Olympic Games.
Austen Smith Earns Two Medals in Skeet Events
In Women’s Skeet, Austen Smith earned a well-deserved bronze medal. Her consistency and focus were evident as she navigated a highly competitive field. Smith also partnered with Vincent Hancock in the Mixed Team Skeet event, where the pair earned a silver medal.
Sagen Maddalena Wins Silver in Women’s Smallbore Rifle
Sagen Maddalena demonstrated exceptional resilience in the Women’s 50m Smallbore Rifle, 3 Positions event. Maddalena’s skill and determination allowed her to execute a series of impressive shots in the single-shot eliminations, ultimately securing the silver medal.
NEXT UP — Paris Paralympic Games Commence August 28
American Shooters Will Compete in 2024 Paralympics August 28 – September 8
The Paris 2024 Olympics will be remembered as a historic moment for the USA Shooting team. With five medals and history-making performances. The excitement continues with the upcoming Paris Paralympic Games, where USA Shooting’s Paralympians will compete from August 28 to September 8.
Paralympics Shooting Finals event will be broadcast on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service. CLICK HERE to review the full Paralympics Shooting Sports broadcast schedule.
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Do you shoot an air rifle or air pistol? Want to test your skills against other shooters across the country? Then sign up for a fun new “Aces” postal match in January. The CMP’s inaugural “Aces” postal match offers airgun marksman a nation-wide competition with Air Rifle, Air Pistol, and Para-Air Rifle/Air Pistol events. Match Registration opens on January 1, 2015 for the initial January-March (Q1) match period.
COURSE OF FIRE
All 3×20 courses of fire are 20 shots prone, 20 shots standing, and 20 shots kneeling in integer format while all other rifle courses of fire are 60 shots in decimal format. All PPP courses of fire are 40 shots with the rest of the pistol events in 60 shots, both in integer format.
Special “Aces” Event Poker Chips — One Per Quarter
Every competitor in the CMP “Aces” Postal Match will receive a specially- designed participation poker chip. There will be a different color each quarter, so collect all four!
Quarterly matches can be shot on Orion paper targets or electronic targets. Orion targets must be requested from the CMP and will be mailed to participants. All Orion targets must be returned for scoring at CMP. Current National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules and USA Shooting Air Rifle and Pistol rules apply. CLICK HERE for more information and schedules.
Modern competition air rifles are decidedly high-tech. Check out this Feinwerkbau:
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The 2012 Paralympic Games run August 29 – September 9, 2012. The 277 American athletes named to the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team will compete in 19 sports contested throughout the 11 days of competition. Among the events will be target shooting. Profiles of Team USA’s Paralympic atheletes, including pistol shooter Eric Hollen and rifle shooter SFC Josh Olson, are provided in the official 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team Media Guide. This handy guide to the Paralympics can be downloaded for free.
Eric Hollen — Paralympic Pistol Shooter
Hollen, a former U.S. Army Ranger in the 2/75 Ranger Regiment, suffered a life-altering injury on his horse farm in Tennessee. Getting involved in competitive pistol shooting has helped Hollen adjust to life after his injury. Showing great determination, Hollen is now one of the top paralympic pistol shooters in the world. At the IPC World Cup Sydney, he won a Silver Medal in Air Pistol and a Bronze Medal in Free Pistol. Hollen is looking forward to the challenge in London: “This has been 10 years in the making and it’s an awesome opportunity to represent my country. I shoot with the best able-bodied athletes in the world here at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and I have the opportunity to now go and win my matches and that’s what I’m setting out to do.” Hollen will compete in the Men’s P1 10-meter Air Pistol event on August 30th. On September 6th, he’ll compete in the 50-meter free Pistol event.
USAMU Rifle Marksman SFC Josh Olson
While on patrol with his unit (101st Airborne Div., 3rd Brigade 1/187) in Iraq in 2003, SFC Josh Olson was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade resulting in the loss of his right leg from the hip down. After spending 18 months at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Olson was assigned to the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit in Fort Benning, Georgia. Olson has been a member of the Paralympic National Team for five years, but this will be the first time Olson competes at the international Paralympic Games. Olson will begin competition on Saturday, September 1 in the 10-meter Air Rifle Prone event followed by the Smallbore (.22 caliber) 50-meter Rifle Prone on Tuesday, September 4. In the video below, you can learn more about Olson’s background and courageous process of rehabilitation.
Watch Video Interview with SFC Josh Olson
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The 2012 London Olympic Games commence this Friday, July 27th. Among the thousands of Olympic athletes competing in London will be talented American rifle, pistol, and shotgun competitors. America fields a very strong team, and Team USA hopes to earn medals in many shooting events. To help fans back home follow our team members, USA Shooting has created an excellent 66-page guidebook that profiles America’s 2012 Olympic Shooting Team. This provides background info on all our 2012 U.S. Olympic/Paralympic shooting Team members. To view the USA Shooting Olympic Preview eZine, click the cover photo at right or the link below. Or, if you become a supporting member of USA Shooting, you can get a hard copy edition. USA Shooting, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the U.S. Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of shooting in the United States.
Wounded Warrior Will Compete for Team USA at London Paralympic Games
The video below is an inspirational story about 2012 Paralympic Team USA member SFC Josh Olson. Now serving with the USAMU, wounded Iraq war veteran Josh Olson recently qualified to represent Team USA in shooting at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. In this video, Josh talks about his service in the military and the night in Iraq when he lost his leg during an ambush. Josh, who took up shooting as a sport during rehab at Walter Reed, hopes he can inspire other wounded veterans through his performance in London. Editor’s NOTE: This really is an outstanding video. I strongly recommend you take the time to watch it.
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U.S. Army Ranger and Special Forces veteran Eric Hollen utilized shooting as a tool for recovery after an injury that broke his back. Hollen is now the top-ranked Air Pistol and number two Free Pistol athlete in the world and has set a goal for himself: the Gold Medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games.
Eric Hollen, a former U.S. Army Ranger, has been named the 2011 USA Shooting Paralympic Athlete of the Year. In addition, Hollen has secured a quota for the 2012 Olympics based on his performance 2011 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Cup in Sydney, Australia. The quota that Hollen won down-under earns him a nomination to the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team (pending approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee). Barring something unforseen, this means that Hollen should compete for the United States at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
Hollen Wins Silver and Bronze in Sydney
“Eric is an Army Special Forces veteran who has taken advantage of the unique opportunities available as an Olympic Training Center (OTC) Resident Athlete,” said Coach Bob Foth. At the IPC World Cup Sydney Hollen won a bronze medal in P4 Mixed 50m Free Pistol. Then, in the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol even, Hollen fired 98.1 points to secure the silver medal. The historic part, however, came from the 2012 Paralympic quota that Hollen won along with the medal. This is the first-ever Paralympic quota won by an American shooter under the IPC’s new quota distribution system. An elated Hollen said, “I am so thankful to be part of such an amazing program and to the people who have helped me reach the next step to my ultimate goal — Coach Bob Foth, Coach Ray Arredondo, Sean McCann, Dave Johnson, Sergey Luzov and many more.”
Hollen Achieves New Goals After Loosing Use of His Legs
Eric Hollen served in the U.S. Army for nine years, first with the 2/75 Rangers in Fort Lewis, WA, and then with the 10th Special Forces Group out of Fort Carson, CO. After leaving the Army, while farming in Tennessee in 2001, a tractor overturned on him, breaking his back. Despite that devastating injury, Hollen has gained a new lease on life. He enrolled in East Tennessee State University, earning his bachelor’s degree in April of 2010. He was awarded USA Shooting’s Paralympic Athlete of the Year honor after a terrific 2010 season. Hollen strives to help newly injured veterans reach their goals despite their disabilities. He advises junior shooters to: “Do the hard things — the hold drills and dry-fire drills that are not much fun — and you will find success.”
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Story by Steve Cooper, CMP Writer
Sergeant First Class Josh Olson lost his right leg during a combat patrol in Iraq, but thanks to a rehabilitation program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and an USAMU initiative to retain wounded warriors, Olson continues to serve his country as a member of the Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU).
SFC Olson recently spent two days with USAMU teammates and fellow shooters at the CMP’s Dixie Double Precision Air Rifle and Air Pistol Event. There, as an out-of-competition air rifle participant, Olson fired the highest aggregate score in the match. However, as he fired from a seated position, he wasn’t officially competing against the able-bodied shooters. Though he wears a full leg prosthesis at the office and when competing in prone competition, SFC Olson said it gets uncomfortable when traveling or sitting for long periods of time. Hence he removed the artificial limb while shooting from the bench.
In 2003, while deployed in Iraq, SFC Olson was leading a motorized patrol when his vehicle was ambushed. He left the vehicle to return fire when an RPG rocked his truck and blew his leg out from under him. Severely wounded, Olson was med-evac’d, first to Mosul, then to Germany, and finally to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the USA. For the next 18 months, SFC Olson received inpatient and outpatient care at Walter Reed in Washington, D.C., prior to reactivating with the Army, eventually assigned to the USAMU.
Olson recalled: “During my time at Walter Reed, a lot of the physical therapy and occupational therapy events we did involved shooting. When at Walter Reed, we were actually shooting sporting clays and I shot really well. One of the occupational therapists said the AMU was looking for amputees who wanted to stay on active duty and possibly try out for the Paralympics. I jumped at the opportunity and was able to stay on active duty”.
After joining the USAMU, SFC Olson began shooting competitively in June 2005 and went through a ‘baptism of fire’ at Camp Perry and in international competition. When he’s not shooting a precision air rifle, SFC Olson competes in .22 caliber international rifle. Following the CMP Dixie Double, he participated in the Championship of the Americas (CAT Games) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the prone able-body event.
SFC Olson hopes to compete in the Paralympic Games or regular Olympic Games in London in 2012. He will try out for both events, either competing as a disabled shooter in the Paralympics or as an able-bodied competitor on equal terms with other Olympic marksmen. He said if he does not make the Olympic team, he’ll know he’s done his best to get there.
When not competing, SFC Olson helps National Guard and Reserve soldiers prepare for combat prior to deployment. “If I can help one person learn skills that will save their life or that of a buddy, it will be well worth it.”
This story has been edited for length. Read full story in the CMP Online Magazine.
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Do you shoot an air rifle or air pistol? Want to test your skills against other shooters across the country? Then sign up for a fun new “Aces” postal match in January. The CMP’s inaugural “Aces” postal match offers airgun marksman a nation-wide competition with Air Rifle, Air Pistol, and Para-Air Rifle/Air Pistol events. Match Registration opens on January 1, 2015 for the initial January-March (Q1) match period.
Eric Hollen — Paralympic Pistol Shooter
Eric Hollen, a former U.S. Army Ranger, has been named the 2011 USA Shooting Paralympic Athlete of the Year. In addition, Hollen has secured a quota for the 2012 Olympics based on his performance 2011 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Cup in Sydney, Australia. The quota that Hollen won down-under earns him a nomination to the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team (pending approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee). Barring something unforseen, this means that Hollen should compete for the United States at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
In 2003, while deployed in Iraq, SFC Olson was leading a motorized patrol when his vehicle was ambushed. He left the vehicle to return fire when an RPG rocked his truck and blew his leg out from under him. Severely wounded, Olson was med-evac’d, first to Mosul, then to Germany, and finally to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the USA. For the next 18 months, SFC Olson received inpatient and outpatient care at Walter Reed in Washington, D.C., prior to reactivating with the Army, eventually assigned to the USAMU.
After joining the USAMU, SFC Olson began shooting competitively in June 2005 and went through a ‘baptism of fire’ at Camp Perry and in international competition. When he’s not shooting a precision air rifle, SFC Olson competes in .22 caliber international rifle. Following the CMP Dixie Double, he participated in the Championship of the Americas (CAT Games) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the prone able-body event.
