Team USA delivered a dominant performance in skeet at one of the most challenging international competitions of the season, with Vincent Hancock and Sam Simonton winning gold and Dania Vizzi earning silver at the 2025 International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Lonato World Cup on July 8.
Hancock’s medal marks his 30th ISSF World Cup medal and 22nd ISSF gold, bringing his overall international medal count to an astonishing total of 56. The ISSF Lonato World Cup marked Vincent Hancock’s first international competition since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he earned two medals and made history by winning his fourth Olympic gold in Men’s Skeet. He became just the sixth Olympian ever to win four gold medals in the same individual event.
“It’s fantastic,” Hancock said when asked about his accomplishment. “I would choose to hit every milestone here because this is always the biggest World Cup of the year. If you win the World Cup or World Championships in Lonato, it means you’ve done something. I don’t take this lightly at all and this means a lot to me.”
He previously won two Men’s Skeet titles in Lonato. Hancock earned his most recent World Cup gold after an intense shoot-off against Henrik Jansson of Sweden, who placed second. Tied at 53, in the final shoot-off, Hancock triumphed over Jansson, 7-6.
“There was nothing easy about that final,” said Hancock, who is currently ranked number one in the world for Men’s Skeet. “The wind picked up just as we were walking out to do out test fires. I thought ‘Oh this is going to be a little sporty today.’ Everybody did as well as they could. I definitely missed more targets than I should have, some were wind, some were just me, but I’m thankful to be able to come out on top today.”
Sam Simonton topped the podium in Lonato, earning her first ISSF World Cup gold medal of the year and third international medal of the 2025 season. She earned a final score of 56/60. Simonton was joined on the podium by teammate Dania Vizzi who earned the silver medal with 53/60.
“I feel great,” Simonton said when asked about her victory. “This is what I wanted to do and why I came here. Shooting the qualification round, I really thought I was done after the first day and the third round. But I came back and shot a power 50 and got a shot at the final.”
Simonton’s victory marks her first gold medal at the renowned ISSF Lonato World Cup, building on the silver she earned at the competition in 2023.
Vizzi, a Paris 2024 Olympian, has now medaled at the Lonato World Cup for three consecutive years. The 2022 World Champion has added a third international medal to her growing list of 2025 accomplishments.
“I love it here,” Vizzi said when asked about the Lonato World Cup. “It is a beautiful range and a beautiful country. So many people come to this World Cup, and we just put so much effort into our qualification score, and the finals, of course. You have to work really hard here. Of course, we always want the gold, but it’s really great to come back with a silver.”
The U.S. Women’s Skeet team has long been a powerhouse on the international stage and continues to dominate in 2025. Vizzi and Simonton joined Kim Rhode for a Team USA podium sweep earlier this year at the 2025 ISSF Lima World Cup.
The U.S. Shotgun team has already earned an impressive 17 medals at the first four ISSF Word Cups of the 2025 season, along with 10 medals at the 2025 Junior Shotgun CAT Games. See the full results at the ISSF website.
Team USA currently holds the most medals of any country at the 2025 ISSF Lonato World Cup. The U.S. trap team looks to add to that count as they prepare to compete.
USA Shooting extends gratitude to our sponsors and partners, including the NRA Foundation, Hillsdale College, The International Order of T. Roosevelt, The Hal & Jean Glassen Foundation, Safari Club International, MidwayUSA Foundation and Shoot the Moon.
Learn more about USA Shooting.
Most Popular
