Final Skeet Women

ISSF World Cup Shotgun · Tucson, USA

Kim Rhode beat her teammate Connor to finished atop of Tucson’s world cup skeet podium. Next goal: to shoot Trap and Trap Mixed Team, trying to compete in all three shotgun events at Tokyo 2020.

USA’s 6-time Olympic medalist Kimberly Rhode won today’s Skeet Women Final, the opening match of the ISSF World Cup in Tucson, Arizona.

The 38-year old athletes shot neck and neck with her teammate Caitling Connor right to the last target and beyond, in order to secure the brightest medal. The two US finalists tied after the last shot with an equal final score of 55 hits out of 60 targets, and the medal standing was decided through a shoot-off. There, it was Rhode who nailed the gold with 4 targets, leaving Connor in second place with 3 hits.

Today’s was Rhode’s third ISSF World Cup Gold medal of the season, following Guadalajara’s and Changwon’s victories.

While speaking to ISSF TV after the final, Rhode said:

“To be out there with my teammate is just the best feeling ever. When you’re competing head and head, back and forth like that, it’s anyone’s game. Gold, silver… it doesn’t really matter. I couldn’t be happier for both me and my teammate.”

“Keeping you cool comes from the experience, having been out there so many times,” she added, commenting on the difficult conditions she had to face during the match, with the wind peaking, the light conditions changing, and a faulty target machines that caused a couple of stops.

“My family is here with me. Having them on the stands is incredible, especially my five-year old son Carter who was cheering me on during the whole match. It made a very nice home feeling, and that motivated me through the match.”

Rhode then announced that she is training to shoot three different events at the next Olympic Games.

“I am actually training Trap, the Trap Mixed Team, and Skeet events. So you may see me in some of the future world cups shooting the other events.”

None of the other international shooters is currently competing in all three events, on the road to Tokyo 2020. At the same time, Rhode has already proved her skills in multiple events, winning three Olympic medals in Double Trap (gold in 1996 and 2004, bronze in 2000) and three medals in Skeet (gold in 2012, silver in 2008 and bronze in 2016). In 2000 and 2004 she competed in both events, making it to the Skeet final in Athens. And at London 2012 she shot the women’s Trap event, closing the match in 9th place.

“Hopefully you will see me shooting all three shotgun events at the 2020 Olympics!”

France’s 25-year old Lucie Anastassiou followed the two US medalist in third place securing Bronze - her first world cup medal in career - with 44 hits, and leaving Italy’s 22-year old Chiara Di Marziantonio in fourth with 35 hits.

South Korea’s Kim Minji took today’s fifth place, while Che Yufei of the People’s Republic of China closed in sixth place with 14 hits, after being sanctioned with a 1-hit deduction for not reporting in time before the final.

The 2018 ISSF World Cup Shotgun in Tucson will continue tomorrow, with the men’s Skeet second qualification day and the final. After the first two qualification series, Oskari Kossi of Finland and Stefan Nilsson of Sweden lead the group with a perfect score of 50 out of 50 targets. The Final match will take place at 4.00 PM (GMT-7) and it will be broadcasted live on the ISSF website, Facebook page and LiveStream channel.