Thrasher Takes Junior Win At USA Shooting Winter Air Gun Championships

At this year’s USA Shooting Winter Air Gun (WAG) Championships, 2016 Olympic gold medalist Ginny Thrasher (Springfield, VA) posted the highest junior score on both days of qualification. This included winning the women’s junior finals. In the junior final, Thrasher’s score of 252.5 would have bested the ISSF Finals World Record by 0.4 points. Thrasher is a junior on the No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team.

Junior women’s air rifle champion Ginny Thrasher, second place Angeline Henry and third place Kristen Hemphill.

Thrasher shot 249.6 in the junior final. Thrasher also shot in the open final and finished fourth with a score of 207.3. Additionally, Thrasher finished first in the women’s junior division on day one. Thrasher shot 252.5 in the women’s junior final to secure victory. Her score beat the current ISSF finals record of 252.1. Thrasher was the overall junior division winner with a two-day score of 830.9.

Thrasher embraces teammate Elizabeth Gratz, who won the women’s open final.

The match was at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. More than 400 competitors attended the three-day air rifle and air pistol match at the Olympic Shooting Center. Temporary ranges were needed to accommodate everyone. This match serves as part one of two in the selection process for upcoming international competition including: ISSF World Cups, Championship of the Americas (CAT Games) and the ISSF World Championship for the Open division (athletes over age 21). The selection points from this competition will carry over to the second part of air gun selection that will take place at the Spring Selection Match next March at Fort Benning, GA.

Photos by USA Shooting