Sept. 15, 2014
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Members of the Kentucky rifle team, past and present, have been off in Granada, Spain, over the past two weeks competing at the 51st International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship, Sept. 7-19, at the CEAR de Tiro Olimpico Juan Carlos Shooting Range.
The championship, held two years before every Summer Olympic Games, is the first competition within the four-year Olympic Cycle in which shooters have the opportunity to earn Olympic quota places, a starting position to send athletes to the next Olympics.
Two current members of the UK rifle team, Connor Davis and Sonya May, made the United States World Championships team.
Additionally three Wildcat alumni are representing their nations in Granada.
Davis, the 2014 NCAA Air Rifle Champion, finished 42nd in the Senior Men’s Air Rifle World Championships qualifying with a score of 621.3.
May, the U.S. Junior Air Rifle Champion from June, began her World Championship campaign on Sunday by placing 21st in the junior air rifle qualifiers. She posted a 412.5. The top-8 scores made the final, with the eight-place qualifying score being a 414.5 by Fatemeh Karazadeh of Iran.
May also finished 14th in the junior 3 positions qualification round on Thursday. She finished with a score of 576 – 25x (Kneeling: 195, Prone: 197, Standing: 184).
“We are always very proud when our athletes are chosen to represent their nations at the highest level,” UK head coach Harry Mullins said. “For Connor and Sonya, as our current competitors, competing at the World Championships caps great seasons for both of them. We hope experiencing the World Championship atmosphere will only help them in the future, especially as we continue preparing for the 2014-15 season.”
On Saturday Henri Junghänel, a multiple-times All-America selection at UK between 2010-2013, placed 20th in the men’s 50-meter rifle 3 positions qualifiers with a score of 1170-61x. He scored 388 kneeling, 397 prone and 385 standing.
Junghänel placed 14th in the 50m prone elimination – relay one, on Sept. 10 with a score of 621.4.
Amy Sowash, a two-time NRA All-American and former UK assistant coach, finished 39th in the women’s Air Rifle qualification with a score of 412.7.3.
She finished 14th in the qualifying round of the50m 3 positions with 584-23x (194 – kneeling, 195 – prone, 195 – standing).
Emily Holsopple placed 34th in the qualifying round of the same competition. She scored 579 – 23x with a 192 kneeling, 198 prone and 189 standing.
Full results from the ISSF World Championships can be found here.
