Mary Tucker Wins Bronze in 50m Rifle Three Positions at ISSF Jr. World Championships
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky rifle junior Mary Tucker earned her third medal of the week Tuesday at the ISSF Junior World Championships in Lima, Peru, winning bronze in 50m rifle three positions.
Tucker shined in qualifying during the 50m rifle three positions events, earning one of eight spots into the final. In the final, Tucker shot a 150.4 kneeling, 152.5 prone and 102.1 standing before making it to third in the elimination shots.
Overall, the ISSF Junior World Championships have been successful for Tucker, who has won three medals, earning silver in women’s air rifle 10m, gold in mixed team air rifle 10m and now bronze in 50m rifle three positions. Fellow Wildcat Will Shaner has claimed three medals with gold in men’s air rifle 10m, gold in mixed team air rifle 10m and silver in men’s team air rifle 10m. Overall, the Americans are in second in the team medal count with Tucker and Shaner combining for six of the nation’s 13 medals.
International competition is nothing new to Shaner nor Tucker, who both qualified for the United States to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and brought home medals. Shaner became the first American male to bring home gold in the 10m air rifle event, while Tucker won silver in the mixed team air rifle event and finished sixth in women’s 10m air rifle. Shaner finished sixth in the mixed team event. Both stars have been consensus first-team All-America honorees each of the last two years with Shaner also carrying that same title as a freshman. Tucker was the smallbore, air rifle and overall NCAA national champion last season, while Shaner finished second in air rifle. The two have combined to win the last three CRCA Athlete of the Year award with Shaner taking it in 2019 while Tucker won the title in 2020 and 2021.
Shaner and Tucker both helped Kentucky claim its third national championship in 2021 and the Wildcats will begin the 2021-22 season ranked No. 1 in the CRCA Preseason Top 20. The 2021-22 season begins Oct. 9 with UK traveling to Morehead State for a dual match. UK’s home opener will be Nov. 6 against Ole Miss, who is No. 2 in the CRCA Preseason Top 20.
The 2021 ISFF Junior World Championships featuring rifle, pistol and shotgun events, are taking place September 27 through October 10 in Lima, Peru. A complete schedule of events, including live results and a broadcast schedule is available online at ISSF-sports.org. Shaner’s world championships are complete with Tucker still having a handful of competitions remaining.
For more information on the Kentucky rifle team, visit UKathletics.com or follow UKRifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
