With 669 competitors from 37 countries in attendance, the 2019 IPSC Rifle World Shoot was a huge success for U.S. shooters. Over six days of competition across thirty difficult stages at the Villinsberg Shooting Range in Karlskoga, Sweden, the U.S. secured numerous top finishes.
The IPSC Rifle World Shoot is best thought of as the Super Bowl or World Series for serious action rifle shooters around the world. The International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), the sanctioning body for the match was established to promote and advance the sport of practical shooting worldwide.
Starting at the top, Tim Yackley, last year’s NRA World Shooting Champion, finished sixth in the Open Semi-Automatic Division with 2197.6912 points. His performance was the highest place earned by an individual Team USA shooter in the overall match results. However, it was U.S. women shooters that proved to be a dominating force in Sweden. The trio of Ashley Rheuark, Lena Miculek and Lanny Barnes owned the podium, winning the gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the ladies’ category. Rheuark in particular had a tremendous score of 1883.7501, a full 32 points ahead of Miculek. And, right behind Barnes in fourth place was U.S. shooter Dakota Overland with only a 5-point separation.
It didn’t end there for the U.S. women shooters. In the Semi-Automatic Division team match, Team USA’s Becky Yackley joined Rhueark, Miculek and Barnes where they snagged the gold medal as “Team USA Open Semi-Auto Lady.” In addition, Lena Miculek brought home one more gold medal after winning the Lady Shoot-Off, which was broadcasted on television by the Swedish national public broadcaster. Her dad, the legendary Jerry Miculek, took top honors in the same event for the Super Senior category.
As for the U.S. men, they were no slouch in Sweden, either. Finishing second in the open team championship was Tim Yackley, Scott Greene, Joseph Farewell and Brian Nelson, competing as “TeamUSA Open Semi-Auto” and winning a silver medal. The team’s final score was 6378.0365.
In the Standard Division, which uses iron sights, Kelly Neal was a force to be reckoned with, winning the Senior gold medal, and also eighth place in the Standard overall standings with a score of 2111.3216. In the Senior Shoot-Off, Neal won the bronze and also earned another bronze medal as a member of the third place-winning Standard Senior Team.
As for the juniors, U.S. shooter Riley Kropff impressed after he took the gold in the Semi-Automatic Division with a score of 1907.8355. He didn’t let up, winning the Open Junior Shoot-Off gold medal, contributing to Team USA’s total of four gold medals in the Shoot-Off side events.
Finally, Jerry Miculek was the gold medal-winner in the Open Semi-Automatic Super Senior category, which is reserved for shooters 60 and over. With a score of 1884.251, Miculek outscored the runner-up by 184 points.
Lead photo of Lena Miculek, Ashley Rhueark and Lanny Barnes on the podium at the awards ceremony courtesy of Lanny Barnes/Facebook.
See more: 2019 SIG Sauer USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals
