Taking Home the Silver

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BEIJING, China - The final day of competition at the "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup took place Sunday in the midst of a cold hard downpour of rain, with Pfc. Vincent C. Hancock of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit earning a spot in the finals and finishing in fourth place.
Hancock, the 2007 World Cup Italy Champion/world record holder, entered the Men's Skeet final in first place with 121 targets, but the cold and rainy conditions caused him to miss four targets in the final and he finished in the fourth spot with a total score of 142 targets. China's Ridong Qu claimed the Gold with a total score of 144 targets, while Russia's Konstantin Tsuranov defeated Italy's Andrea Filippetti in a shoot-off for the Silver.
Hancock will represent the USA in Men's Skeet at the Olympic Games scheduled for August in Beijing.
The "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 ISSF World Cup was conducted April
11 to 20 at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall and Beijing Shooting Range Clay-Target Field with the U.S. Shooting Team earning a total of seven
medals (two Silver and five Bronze) during the event.
Retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Bret E. Erickson earned the Bronze Medal in Men's Trap, Matt Emmons took the Silver Medal in Men's Air Rifle and USAMU's Spc. Walton Glenn Eller III captured the Silver in Men's Double Trap. Erickson, Emmons and Eller have all qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.
Sgt. 1st Class Daryl L. Szarenski of USAMU claimed the Bronze in the Men's 50-Meter Free Pistol event and 2007 Pan-American Games Gold Medalist Haley Dunn of Eddyville, Iowa, got the Bronze Medal in Women's Skeet. USAMU's Sgt. 1st Class Thomas A. Tamas and Spc. Michael D. McPhail claimed the Silver and Bronze medals respectively in the Men's Prone Rifle event.
This event was the only shooting competition where athletes were able to test their shooting skills at the new Olympic shooting venues prior to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, which will be Aug. 9 to 17.
More than 1,200 shooters from 92 countries competed in the Beijing World Cup, making it the largest shooting event ever in China.
Thirty-five Olympians and Olympic hopefuls from the U.S. competed in 15 different men's and women's events during the nine-day competition.
Other Recent USAMU Wins
Soldiers on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit's Service Pistol Team were victorious at the Dixie Pistol Matches in Jacksonville, Fla., April 18 to 20.
Staff Sgt. Adam E. Sokolowski placed first in Jacksonville, shooting a score of 2,641 points out of a possible 2,700. Sokolowski has won the match two times, once with his right hand and is now shooting with his left hand. Sgt. Sean P. Watson placed second shooting with 2,639 points and Staff Sgt. Gregory S. Wilson was third shooting a 2,625. The team of Sokolowski, Watson, Wilson and Staff Sgt. Lyman P. Grover won all the team matches.
For the fifth year in a row, Staff Sgt. Maxient "Max" J. Michel Jr. of USAMU won the U.S. Practical Shooting Association Area 6 Regional Championships in Covington, Ga.
Michel dominated the 12-stage match April 20, taking first place on six stages and second on three others as he outpaced his USAMU teammate Spc. Kamille "K.C." Eusebio who took second place.
The USPSA Area 6 Championships were conducted at the South River Gun Club in Covington, Ga., with a total of 335 top shooters competing. Area 6, one of the eight USPSA shooting regions in the country, is made up of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.