COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – The USA Shooting Team has returned from the 12th Championship of the Americas (CAT) in Guadalajara, Mexico with 39 medals and eight Olympic quotas.

Winning gold medals at CAT and Olympic quotas for the United States were Dempster Christenson in Men’s Air Rifle (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), George Norton in Men’s Three-Position Rifle (Salina, Kansas/U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit), James Hall in Men’s Air Pistol (Anniston, Alabama), Frank Thompson in Men’s Skeet (Alliance, Nebraska), Mindy Miles in Women’s Air Rifle (Weatherford, Texas), Sarah Beard in Women’s Three-Position Rifle (Danville, Indiana), Alexis Lagan in Women’s Sport Pistol (Boulder City, Nevada) and Kayle Browning in Women’s Trap (Wooster, Arkansas).

The Shooting Confederation of the Americas (Confederaciòn Americana de Tiro - CAT) was founded and recognized by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) in 1973 as the Continental Confederation for the Shooting Sport for all countries of the North and South America. Every four years, the shooting teams from North and South America meet at CAT to compete for Olympic and Pan American Games quotas.

Eight Olympic quotas was the most won by any nation at CAT, while Canada, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru each secured one slot. Earning an Olympic quota in competition ensures the country a spot in that particular event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, not necessarily the athlete. The eight Olympic quotas earned in Guadalajara in Athletes will earn Olympic Team slots via a trials system established by USA Shooting.

CAT was also the only opportunity for athletes to earn quotas for the Pan American Games next summer in Lima, Peru. The USA Shooting Team earned the maximum 24 quotas to the 2019 Pan American Games. Two Olympic quotas will be available in each individual event at the Pan American Games and is the last chance for athletes to earn quotas prior to the 2020 Olympic Games.

Between the ISSF World Championship in September in Changwon, South Korea and CAT, the United States has won 12 Olympic quotas, as well as the maximum number of quotas possible (two) in Men’s and Women’s Skeet and Men’s Three-Position Rifle. Additional opportunities for the United States to win Olympic quotas will be at the ISSF World Cups throughout 2019, in addition to the Pan American Games.

Complete results from CAT

Shikar Safari Club International Foundation: USA Shooting received a generous grant of $50,000 to support the Pistol program from the Shikar Safari Club International Foundation. The grant will be used to prepare our athletes for 2020 Olympics through training camps and domestic/international competitions. Funds were used for the World Championship in South Korea and will be used for CAT as well. Throughout the years, the Shikar Foundation has been a huge supporter of USA Shooting; providing funds that would build a Trap bunker and Skeet field. They also financially supported a project for the 25m Rapid Fire and Sport Pistol targets that were converted in 2010 at the Olympic Shooting Center. Learn more here.

About USA Shooting: USA Shooting, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the United States Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of shooting in April 1995. USA Shooting's mission is to prepare American athletes to win Olympic medals, promote the shooting sports throughout the U.S. and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country. Check us out on the web at usashooting.org and on Twitter at twitter.com/USAShooting.

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.

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