Competition at the 2008 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Final for shotgun is set to kick off in Minsk, Belarus on Saturday with the men’s double trap match and finals. Only the best athletes are invited to take part in the closing event of the 2008 ISSF World Cup Series and 12 U.S. athletes are in Minsk to compete for World Cup Final titles, including seven members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.
Last year’s World Cup Final Champion and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Glenn Eller (Katy, Texas), a member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), is back and ready to claim the World Cup Final title for the second year in a row in men’s double trap. Joining him in the hunt for a spot on the podium will be his 2008 Olympic teammate and USAMU teammate Jeff Holguin (Yorba Linda, Calif.)
On Monday, September 29, the women’s trap and skeet finals will be held with four-time Olympian and 2008 silver medalist Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.) looking to claim the title in skeet, while 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Corey Cogdell (Eagle River, Alaska) looks to earn a medal in trap. USAMU teammates Theresa DeWitt (Cincinnati, Ohio), a 1996 Olympian, and Joetta Dement (Renton, Wash.), who most recently captured the gold and bronze medals respectively at the 2008 World Cup USA in May are also competing in women’s trap. Haley Dunn (Eddyville, Iowa), the 2008 World Cup USA gold medalist and World Cup Beijing bronze medalist, along with two-time Olympian and 2008 World Cup USA bronze medalist Connie Smotek (Bryan, Texas) will be vying for spots on the podium in women’s skeet.
In men’s trap, 2008 Olympic teammates Bret Erickson (Muenster, Texas) and Dominic Grazioli (San Antonio, Texas) will be representing the U.S. team in men’s trap. Erickson won a bronze at the 2008 World Cup in Beijing as well as a silver in Suhl, while Grazioli took the bronze at the World Cup USA in Kerrville, Texas. The men’s trap finals will be held on the last day of competition, which will take place on Tuesday, September 30. The men’s skeet final will also be held on Tuesday with 2008 Olympic gold medalist and USAMU member Vincent Hancock (Eatonton, Ga.), who also won the gold at the 2008 World Cup Suhl, looking to add another gold medal to his collection. Frank Thompson (Alliance, Neb.) will be vying for a spot on the podium in his first ever World Cup Final appearance.
For more information and complete results throughout the World Cup Final, please visit www.ISSF.tv.
