The United States' Glenn Eller won the gold medal in double trap Tuesday, setting two Olympic records and claiming the second medal so far for the U.S. shooting team at the Beijing Olympics.
Eller began his day strong, setting a new Olympic record in qualifying for the final with a 145, and continuing his dominance through the final with a total score of 190, also a new Olympic record.
Eller, 26, of Katy, Texas, is a three-time Olympian. This is his first Olympic medal. A member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, he finished 12th at the Sydney Games and 17th in Athens.
The previous Olympic record of 144 was set by Ahmed Almaktoum of the United Arab Emirates at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Almaktoum and Russell Mark of Australia (Atlanta 1996) were the previous final score record holders with 189.
After missing his first pair in the final, Eller ended up shooting 45 targets and finished with a total score of 190 targets, setting another Olympic record and taking home the gold.
“I was so happy after I won, but I didn’t know whether to cry, smile or jump up and down,” said Eller. “After my performances in the last two Olympics, I really wanted to come here and bring home a medal for the U.S. This is definitely one of the greatest moments of my life so far.”
Eller’s USAMU teammate Jeff Holguin (Yorba Linda, Calif.), who was competing for the U.S. on his first Olympic team, went into the final in third place with a score of 140, shot 42 targets in the final and ended in fourth place with an overall score of 182.
“I got off to a bad start and couldn’t really figure out what I was doing wrong,” Holguin said of his performance. “I came here to win; my goal wasn’t just to make the team. I am disappointed, but hats off to Glenn who is not only my teammate, but a good friend.”
D’ Aniello took the silver with 187 targets, while the bronze medal was won by Hu Binyuan of China with 184 targets.
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Earlier...
For someone who has only been shooting her event competitively for a little over two years, 21-year-old Corey Cogdell looked like one of the most experienced trap shooters in the world on Monday in Beijing.
Cogdell, of Eagle River, Alaska, claimed the United States' first Olympic medal in shooting, winning bronze in women's international trap. "I wasn't even supposed to get on the Olympic team. My goal was to be on the 2012 Olympic team, so to win a medal at the Olympics at this point in my career is really a dream come true," said Cogdell, a former standout in NSSF's popular Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP).
Cogdell entered the final round just one target off the lead. In the 25-target final, she struggled early but finished strong, forcing a shoot-out with three other shooters for bronze. After each of the other shooters missed their targets, Cogdell came through in the clutch to claim her spot on the medal stand.
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Best of luck to all our Shooting Olympians!
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