Team USA: Caitlin Connor Receives Olympic Committee Honors

by
posted on October 24, 2018
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
cait-connor-septaward2.jpg
The U.S. Olympic Committee has a monthly Best Of” award, and thanks to her outstanding performance at the 2018 ISSF World Championships in South Korea, skeet shooter Caitlin Connor won the Best of September female athlete for Team USA. She received a very respectable 30 percent of the vote.

Kim Rhode and Caitlin Connor | 2018 ISSF World Championships, South Korea
Kim Rhode and Caitlin Connor fist bump at the 2018 ISSF World Championships in Changwon, South Korea.

At the ISSF World Championships in Changwon, South Korea, Connor won her very-first gold medal after defeating teammate (and shooting mentor) Kim Rhode in the final by a lone clay. They were tied going in to the last station during the final. The win marked the fourth consecutive womens skeet championship won by a U.S. shooter.

In a USA Shooting press release, Connor said, “I was pretty emotional during that final because I’ve never had the feeling during a final that I was going to win and the whole time I thought ‘I’m going to win this thing!’ I wanted to cry after my third pass through! I just kept thinking ‘Stay strong, focus on what you’re doing, and it will be fine.’”

Caitlin Connor, Kim Rhode and Amber English | 2018 ISSF World Championship, Korea
Caitlin Connor, Kim Rhode (l.) and Amber English on the podium at the ISSF World Championships in South Korea. The last time Team USA swept an open World Championship was in 1974.

Connor, age 27 and a native of Winnfield, LA, is the first woman shooter recognized for a monthly Team USA Best of award since the format was revised. Each Olympic discipline NGB (National Governing Body) nominates three athlete(s) each month: one man, one woman and one team nominee. The coolest part about the Team USA monthly honors is that 50 percent of the final tally is determined by fans voting online. NGB officials and the media provide the other 50 percent of the votes.

Below are the four other athletes that were nominated for the September 2018 Team USA Female Athlete of the Month, along with their share of the votes cast:

1.  Laura Graves (Equestrian), 26 percent
2.  Allysa Seely (Paratriathlon), 17 percent
3.  Rebecca Hart (Para-equestrian), 15 percent
4.  Katie Zaferes (Triathlon), 13 percent

Photos courtesy of USA Shooting


More Team USA coverage:

•  ISSF World Championship: Vincent Hancock Wins Record 4th Men’s Skeet Title
•  Kim Rhode Elected ISSF Athletes Committee Chair
•  ISSF World Cup: Cogdell-Unrein, Wallace Win Trap Mixed Team Gold
•  Junior World Cup Germany: Morgan Phillips Continues Hot Streak, Wins 3-P Silver Medal
•  Kim Rhode Continues To Shine
•  At The Top Of Her Game, Rachel Martin Aims For International Stage

Latest

Berettatac Apparel Lineup 1
Berettatac Apparel Lineup 1

Beretta Launches Full Training Apparel Line

Beretta debuts Training Gear Collection at 2026 NRA Annual Meeting with seven pieces engineered alongside top shooters for range and competition.

NRA America’s Rifle Challenge Featured on ‘Gun Talk Nation’

Kyle Lamb joins ‘Gun Talk Nation’ to make the case for ARC as the best entry-level AR-15 competition and to explain why civilians and tactical shooters alike benefit from match experience.

Mein Reaches Super Final as Team Federal Cleans Up in San Antonio

Derrick Mein finished third in the Main Event and Gregg Wolf won American Field HOA at the 2026 World English Sporting Clays Championship.

Vincent Hancock Receives NRA Golden Bullseye Competitor Award in Houston

Four-time Olympic skeet gold medalist Vincent Hancock accepts 2026 NRA Media Golden Bullseye Competitor award at NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Houston, Texas.

Results: 2026 Tennessee State BB Gun Championship

Lily Cope scored 474.9 of 536 to win the Tennessee State BB Gun Championship Match over 37 competitors in Cookeville.

Ohio State Captures 2026 Intercollegiate Pistol Crown as NRA Returns to the Range

Ohio State steamrolled the field at the 2026 Intercollegiate Pistol Championship in Missouri marking the NRA’s return to college pistol after seven years.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.