The Olympics are just around the corner, and many Americans will be tuning in to watch athletes compete on the world’s stage. If you're a fan of the sharpshooters sport, you won't want to miss watching these women compete.
Enkelejda Shehaj, Women’s 10m Air Pistol and Women’s 25m Sport Pistol
Enkelejda Shehaj has participated in 12 World Cup Events and three World Championships. And she’s no stranger to the Olympics. She’s made previous appearances at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games, where she fired away for team Albania. In 2014 she was part of the World Team and now competes for the U.S. All the female sharpshooters from their respected countries competing in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol group will compete in a standing position, taking aim at targets that are 10 meters away. The qualification round consists of 40 single-round shots and the elimination round consists of 20. If there is a tie at the end, the winner will be determined by a shoot off. It takes hard work and dedication to compete at the Olympics. Enkelejda put in countless days of practice with air rifles, worked with shooting coaches and went through hours of training.
Morgan Craft, Women’s Skeet
Hailing from Muncy Valley, Pennsylvania, Morgan Craft grew up shooting rifles in 4H at the age of seven and began shooting international skeet when she was 14. She earned her Olympic team nomination in 2015 via USA Shooting’s Olympic points system, which came as no surprise due to her World Championship win and performance in the World Cup events in that same year. A single round of skeet shooting consists of 25 targets. Seventeen of those targets are shot as singles and eight are shot as doubles.
Jaime Gray, Women’s 50m Rifle
Like Enkelejda, Jamie Gray is no stranger to the Olympic spotlight. Jaime competed in the London and Beijing Olympic games, only missing the podium by a few points. However, Jaime did win a gold medal at the Olympics in 2012 and she set an Olympic record, too. This year, she’s out to win again. She’s been training since she was young; she started shooting in a BB gun program at the age eight. Jaime graduated from the University of Fairbanks and shot for it’s highly renowned and recognized rifle team. Today she practices her sharp shooting where she lives in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Courtney Anthony, Women’s 10m Air Pistol
Courtney Anthony, from Lexington, Nebraska, will be participating in the 2016 Rio Olympics alongside Team USA member Enkelejda Shehaj in the Women’s 10m air pistol competition. Courtney’s career highlights began in 2013, when she earned ninth place at the World University Games. Most recently, Courtney earned first in 2014 at the National Championships for her sharpshooting skills.
In 1896 there were only five shooting events in the Olympics. Today there are 15 events, showing that the sport of shooting is growing due to interest as well as updated and innovative technology.
