Team USA left the 2022 ISSF Lima World Cup for Shotgun with a grand total of 11 medals, topping its seven-medal performance at the previous ISSF World Cup in Cyprus. The match was held March 27-April 7 at the Las Palmas Shooting Range in Lima, Peru.
USA Shooting athletes crushed the newest ISSF World Cup Shotgun event—three-person teams. Both trap teams won gold, with Rachel Tozier, Aeriel Skinner and Kayle Browning topping the women’s leaderboard. On the men’s side it was the trio of Derrick Mein, William Hinton and Casey Wallace claiming victory. Also taking gold was the women’s skeet team, with Dania Vizzi, Austen Smith and Caitlin Connor facing an Italian team in the finals—a repeat of their Cyprus match.
“To finally beat an Italian team was really cool,” said Vizzi, a 2019 Pan Am Games bronze medalist. “The three-man team is the most fun event for us.”
In women’s individual skeet, Vizzi picked up another gold medal. She was followed by Smith who took silver and Connor placing fourth.
“It is still kind of surreal to me,” said Vizzi, who is a Tampa, Florida, native. “It is so cool to stand on the top of the podium again.”
As for the mixed skeet team events, Austen Smith and Dustan Taylor earned a silver medal, the first international medal for Taylor, and Connor and Hayden Stewart went home with the bronze.
Stewart, a soldier in the U.S. Army’s Marksmanship Unit, also took home bronze in men’s skeet, his first individual World Cup medal ever.
“It was amazing I was in disbelief,” said Stewart, a Columbia, Tennessee, native. “I am happy I was able to fight through my mistakes mentally and never give up.”
Kayle Browning and Derek Haldeman also left Lima with hardware after securing the mixed trap team bronze medal. In addition, Browning earned a silver medal in women’s individual trap.
Another first-time international medal winner was Derrick Mein with the bronze in men’s individual trap.
“How do you even out into words what we did here,” said National Shotgun Coach Jay Waldron. “Eleven medals at one cup is an amazing accomplishment.”
Coming up next for the U.S. shotgun team is the ISSF World Cup for Shotgun in Lonata, Italy, which will be held April 19-30.
All official results can be found at: issf-sports.org.
Learn more about USA Shooting at usashooting.org.
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