LISBON, Portugal — The best sporting clays shooters on the planet showed up at Vale das Pedras. Four Americans went through all of them.
Derrick Mein, Todd Hitch, Joseph Fanizzi and Gebben Miles combined for 722 targets across the 48th World FITASC Championship to take Men’s Team gold, finishing nine clear of a French squad that had every right to expect better. Spain took bronze at 708. The championship ran July 16-19 at the Federação Portuguesa de Tiro com Armas de Caça grounds outside the Portuguese capital and drew a field of more than 800 shooters from every corner of the sport.
Mein anchored it. The two-time Olympian and 2016 FITASC world champion posted a 186 that stood as the highest American score of the week and tied him for the individual lead with France’s Bastien Havart. The tie sent both to a shoot-off for silver. Havart broke 21, while Mein broke 18 for bronze.
That left the individual world championship to another American. Tom Seay put together the only 187 of the tournament—a card that never dipped below 22 across eight rounds—to take the Open title outright. Hitch was right behind the medals at 185, tied for fourth with France’s Matthieu Delmas. Fanizzi and Anthony I. Matarese, Jr., each posted 181 to share eighth. Carson Lingle added a 180.
The team math was not close where it mattered. Mein’s 186 and Hitch’s 185 gave the U.S. two of the four highest scores in the entire men’s team competition. France answered with Havart’s 186 but could not match the American depth behind it, and by the time the fourth cards were counted the gap had opened past anything a single course could close.
“It was another great performance on the international stage for Federal’s Derrick Mein,” said Jason Nash, vice president of marketing at Federal Ammunition. “Derrick is a fierce competitor and a strong leader, and it is not surprising he continues to perform at such a high level wherever he competes.”
Complete results are posted on the FITASC website.
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