COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (November 3, 2008) – Two-time Olympian Matt Emmons (Browns Mills, N.J.) took home the silver medal for the second straight year in the Men’s 50m Prone Rifle event at the 2008 ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup Final in Bangkok, Thailand.
Emmons, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist and 2008 silver medalist in men’s prone entered the final in second place with a qualification score of 596, just two points behind 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Warren Potent of Australia, who went into the final with a score of 598. In the final, Emmons fired an impressive score of 104.7 for a total of 700.7, which was good enough to earn him the silver, while Potent claimed the gold with a final score of 104.2 for a total of 702.2.
Japan’s Toshikazu Yamashita captured the bronze with an overall score of 699.9. U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) member Michael McPhail (Darlington, Wis.), who won the bronze medal at the World Cup in Beijing in April, finished in fourth place with 699.4.
The Men’s 50m Pistol event was also held today with USAMU member and three-time Olympian Daryl Szarenski (Saginaw, Mich.), who earned the spot to compete in the World Cup Final after taking home the bronze at the Beijing World Cup, finishing in 11th place with a score of 544. Korea’s Jin Jong Oh won the gold with a total score of 667.2, while Tomoyuki Matsuda of Japan grabbed silver with 665.5. The bronze went to the Vladimir Isakov of Russia, who finished with an overall score of 660.5.
Ninety-one shooters from 35 countries are taking place in the 2008 ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup Final with competition running through Wednesday, November 5.
The Men’s 50m 3 Position Rifle competition will take place on Tuesday, November 4 with Emmons, the reigning World Cup Final champion in this event, being the only U.S. competitor who qualified for a spot.
Jamie Beyerle (Lebanon, Pa.), a 2008 Olympian and the Women’s 50m 3 Position Rifle silver medalist from the Milan World Cup will be competing in the women’s 3 position event, along with 2004 Olympian Morgan Hicks (Roy, Wash.). Hicks, who is currently the Head Coach for the University of Nebraska Rifle Team, captured the gold medal in the women’s 3 position event at the World Cup in March in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
