CONTACT: Kevin Neuendorf
kevin.neuendorf@usashooting.org

(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – May 15, 2019) - America’s Shooting Team made it four medals in three events Wednesday at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Changwon, South Korea, when Ashley Carroll earned a bronze medal in Women’s Trap. That prime position on the podium was made all that much sweeter knowing it earned Team USA the all-important Olympic quota.

Carroll (Solvang, California) missed just one target in her last 75 during Qualification to advance as the second-best qualifier with a score of 119/125. Carroll secured the Olympic quota before Finals even began knowing two quotas were available and with four of the five other Finalists having secured quotas for their country in previous matches.

Once in the Final, Carroll missed four targets out of 40 but was able to earn that podium position with 19-consecutive hits. It is her third career World Cup medal earned and first away from Mexico following a 2017 win in Guadalajara and a 2018 victory in Acapulco.

Competing in Changwon at World Championships last year she finished 14th with a 32nd-place result at the World Cup event here as well.

An Olympic quota is essentially a country’s ticket to participate in a specific event in the 2020 Olympic Games. Earning an Olympic quota in competition ensures the country a spot in that particular event, not necessarily the athlete.

The quota means the U.S. Shotgun Team will send more athletes to Tokyo 2020 than it did for Rio 2016. Corey Cogdell-Unrein (Eagle River, Alaska) was the lone U.S. trap competitor. Kayle Browning (Wooster, Arkansas) secured Team USA’s first quota in the event by winning at the 2018 Championship of the Americas. Carroll just missed an opportunity at that event after being the top qualifier and finishing with the bronze medal, where a top-two placement was needed.

China’s Weiyun Deng earned the victory with her teammate Xiaojing Wang taking second. It is the first World Cup Gold medal for Weiyun while Wang managed the highest Qualification score of 121. The second Olympic quota went to France’s Melanie Couzy, who finished the competition in sixth.

U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) soldier athlete Rachel Tozier (Liberty, Missouri) finished 17th with a 113. Alicia Gough (Burlington, Wisconsin) was 45th with a 108. They were each making their World cup debuts after finishing third and fifth at the USA Shooting Spring Selection Match earlier this year.

The U.S. men’s trap contingent of Derek Haldeman (USAMU/Sunbury, Ohio), Glenn Eller(USAMU/Katy, Texas) and Brian Burrows (Fallbrook, California) got off to a great start as well Wednesday as each record 48/50 on Day 1 of Qualification. The problem lies in the fact that 16 others shot 49 or better. That competition concludes Friday followed by a Mixed Team Trap event Saturday to wrap-up business in Changwon.

Earlier in the competition, Kim Rhode (El Monte, California) and Vincent Hancock (Eatonton, Georgia) earned victories in skeet while 21-year-old Christian Elliott (USAMU/Greenwood, Indiana) earned the first Word Cup medal of his career with silver in Men’s Skeet.

WORLD CUP RESULTS: http://bit.ly/2DNq6B9

WOMEN’S TRAP FINAL VIDEO - https://www.facebook.com/ISSF.Shooting/videos/451821715385805/

ELEY is a Proud Sponsor of the USA Shooting Rifle and Pistol Teams: ELEY Limited, manufacturer of the world's most consistently accurate rimfire ammunition, has been the Official Sponsor and Official Supplier of .22 rimfire ammunition of the USA Shooting rifle and pistol teams since 2000. For more information on ELEY and their products, please visit eley.co.uk.

Federal Premium, headquartered in Anoka, MN, is a brand of Vista Outdoor Inc., an outdoor sports and recreation company. From humble beginnings nestled among the lakes and woods of Minnesota, Federal Premium Ammunition has evolved into one of the world's largest producers of sporting ammunition. Beginning in 1922, founding president, Charles L. Horn, paved the way for our success. Today, Federal carries on Horn's vision for quality products and service with the next generation of outdoorsmen and women. We maintain our position as experts in the science of ammunition production. Every day we manufacture products to enhance our customers' shooting experience while partnering with the conservation organizations that protect and support our outdoor heritage. We offer thousands of options in our Federal Premium and Federal® lines-it's what makes us the most complete ammunition company in the business and provides our customers with a choice no matter their pursuit.