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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (December 17, 2010)

Meet Frank Thompson, a member of the National Shotgun Team and recent silver medalist at the Championship of the Americas. Thompson (Alliance, Neb.) shot for 146 out of 150 targets in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Thompson was just one target shy of the gold medal, but his silver medal finish brings home a very important quota for the USA. Thompson was also named to the 2011 World Clay Target Team per his performances and scores at the USA Shooting National Championship (fourth place) and the Fall Selection Match (silver medalist). Thompson was also a member of the 2009 World Championship Men’s Skeet Team that won not only a gold medal, but set a new team world record. At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, Thompson finished sixth, but he is looking to the futureo a spot on the 2012 Olympic team. In addition to being a Resident Athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., Thompson also attends the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs majoring in Business Administration with plans to graduate in May of 2011.

Thompson began shooting at 4 years old, shotgun at 10 years old and has always enjoyed the shooting sports. Growing up hunting with his father in Nebraska, Thompson developed a love for the outdoors, hunting and fishing. When he is home at his family ranch in Alliance, Neb., Thompson is particularly fond of deer hunting. He also enjoys helping his parents with the day-to-day operations of the ranch, in particular the ranching lifestyle and community. When prompted about advice for junior shooters, Thompson said, have fun and don’t forget to be someone that you would be proud of. USA Shooting would like to wish Frank Thompson continued success in 2011.

Winchester Ammunition is a Proud Sponsor of the USA Shooting Shotgun Team: Winchester Ammunition has been the exclusive ammunition sponsor and supplier of the USA Shooting Shotgun Team since 1999. Members of the 2008 shotgun team brought home four medals from Beijing using Winchester AA International Target loads. Winchester is an industry leader in advancing and supporting conservation, hunter education and our country’s proud shooting sports heritage. For more information about Winchester and its complete line of products, visit www.winchester.com.

African Youth Qualification Championship in Tipaza, Algeria, and at the Confederation of the Americas Championships, in Guatemala City, concluded the qualifications for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. 24 Universality Places remains to be awarded.

The last Youth Olympic Quota Places were assigned at the African Youth Qualification Championship in Tipaza, Algeria, and at the Confederation of the Americas Championships, in Guatemala City.

After these competitions, all the 54 Youth Olympic Quota Places to be awarded were assigned. Two additional Quota Places will be reserved to the Host Country, Singapore, by ISSF rule. Twenty-four additional Wild Card – Universality Places, equally divided between Men and Women events, will then be distributed by the International Olympic Committee.

Quota Places are country-related: the shooter wins a quota place, which is then at disposal of his/her country. Each country is free to decide how to use the Quota Places won by its shooters. Therefore, the shooter who secures a Quota is not automatically qualified for the Games, as the final decision has to be taken by his/her national authorities.

The first edition of the Youth Olympic Games will take place in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010.  There, 3200 athletes aging between 14 and 18 will compete in 26 different sports. YOG Quota Places for shooting sport were assigned between 2009 and 2010 at the Oceania Championship in Sydney (AUS), at the Asian Championship in Doha (QAT), at the European Championship in Meraker (NOR), at the Africa Youth Qualification Championship in Tipaza (ALG) and at the Confederation of the Americas Championships in Guatemala City (GUA).

Assigned YOG Quota Places

Manavjit Singh Sandhu climbed up the scoreboard, outscoring Italy’s Daniele Resca and USA’s John Mullins to finish on the highest step of the podium with a total score of 145 hits.

The 2006 ISSF World Champion, India’s Manavjit Singh Sandhu, won today’s Trap Men final round, claiming Gold with a total score of 145 hits.

Shooting in a hot and windy Mexican afternoon, Sandhu made it to the final round with 122 targets after, one target behind the qualification’s leader Resca of Italy.

The Indian ace shooters shot his way to the highest step of the podium by hitting 23 out of 25 targets during the final round. Shooting solidly, he climbed up the scoreboard, first tying Resca, and then overtaking him at the 24^th final target, as the Italian missed a fatal clay sliding in second place.

“I did not realize that I was going to win until the last shots. It has been a very close competition: I only won by one target. – Sandhu said – I shot aggressively up until the end and eventually made it to the top.”

“It was a long trip here from India but it was worth it! – added Sandhu – I am planning to take part in most of the ISSF World Cup stages, this year. My aim for the future? The Olympic Games, of course,” concluded the Indian Gold medallists, probably thinking of the ISSF World Championship that will take place in Munich next August, where the first Olympic Quota Places will be awarded.

Sandhu, 33-year old, is currently ranked tenth in the Trap Men world ranking, The Indian shooter finished twice on the podium last year, as he won a Bronze medal at the 2009 ISSF World Cup in Minsk (BLR) and a Gold medal at the Asian Championship in Almaty (KAZ).

Italy’s Daniele Resca, 23, competing in the second ISSF World Cup final match of his international career, missed four targets in the final. Finishing with a total score of 144 hits, he lost the leadership he had gained through the qualification and had to pass through a shoot-off against USA’s John Mullins to secure the Silver medal with a total of 144 targets plus 3 hits in the shoot-off.

John Mullins, 22, today’s youngest finalists, finished in third place with 144 targets plus 2 hits in the shoot-off, winning his first international medal. The young athlete had participated in four ISSF World Cup stages since 2006, but he had never made it to the podium, before.

Another first-time finalist, India’s 32-year old Anirudh Singh, closed the match in fourth place with 143 hits + 2, after shooting-off the seven-time World Cup Final winner Giovanni Pellielo of Italy by 2 to 1 hits.

While Pellielo placed in fifth with 143 +1 hits, the Silver medallist of the 2007 World Cup in Changwon, Spain’s Alberto Fernandez, ended up in sixth place with a total score of 142 clays.

The ISSF World Cup in Acapulco continues: the Double Trap Men final round will take place on Saturday the 6th, in the first hours of the afternoon. Check the schedule of competition!

Jessica Rossi and PEter Sidi have been voted as “2009 Shooters of the Year” by a special commission of the AIPS, the International Sport Press Association.

Jessica Rossi of Italy and Peter Sidi of Hungary are the “Shooters of the Year 2009”. The two athletes were named as best shooters of the past season by the members of the International Association of Shooting Sport Journalists, a commission of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS). Rossi and Sidi won the votes of the delegates thanks to their outstanding performances throughout the 2009 ISSF World Cup Series, World and Continental Championships.

Jessica Rossi, an Italian Trap Shooter, won the most of the commission’s votes, securing the title with 76 points. During the 2009 season, when she was still 17-year old, the prodigious athlete conquered the World Title at the ISSF World Championship of Maribor (SLO), facing and beating experienced champions on her way to the highest step of the podium. Nobody could resist Rossi’s perfect rhythm, this year. The Italian phenomenon won also at the European Championship held in Osijek (CRO), and placed twice on the podium during the ISSF World Cup Series, claiming Silver both in Cairo and Munich. Rossi turned eighteen the last 7^th of January, and the new year brought her a new challenge: the 2010 World Championship in all events in Munich, where the first Olympic quota places of London 2012 will be awarded. Will she defend her title, gaining an entrance ticket for her first Games?

Peter Sidi, a 31-year old Rifle ace-shooter, became the 2009 Shooter of the Year with 75 points thanks to the breathtaking series of extreme results he nailed throughout the season. Sidi, an Olympic finalist of Beijing in the Air Rifle Men event, won medals shooting on all distances, this year. At the European Championship of Osijek (CRO), he claimed a clamorous Gold medal at the 300m Rifle Three Positions Men event by setting a new World Record of 1184 points, finishing in first with nine points of advantage on his followers. Sidi became the “rifle king” of Osijek by winning also the 50m Rifle Three Positions Men match, climbing up the scoreboard throughout a severe final round. The Hungarian athlete displayed his skills also on world-level arenas, grabbing a Gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Beijing and a Silver medal in Munich. Sidi closed then the season on the podium at the ISSF World Cup Final in Wuxi (CHN), when he placed in second at the 10m Air Rifle Men event.

The 2010 season is yet to start and ready to challenge the two shooting champions. The first ISSF World Cup Stage will kick-off in Acapulco, Mexico, where Shotgun shooters will meet after the long winter break on the 1st  of May. The Olympic Shooting Range of Sydney, Australia, will host the first 2010 World Cup Stage in Rifle and Pistol events, starting from the 20th of March. The International shooting season will then climax right up to the 50th ISSF World Championships in all events of Munich, next July, where more then 2000 athletes will participate in the biggest shooting competition ever, trying to secure the first London 2012’ Olympic Quota Places.