Photo By Lt. Col. Michelle Lunato | Staff Sgt. Christian Elliott wins the Gold Medal in Men's Skeet with a perfect score...... read more read more
Soldiers with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit won five medals at the International Shooting Sports Federation World Cup Final in Doha, Qatar December 4-9.
The USAMU Shotgun Team demonstrated excellence as they earned Team USA two Gold, a Silver, and two Bronze Medals in their last competition of the year. This competition differed from others earlier in the year though as it was the Soldiers’ first opportunity to shoot the newly formatted final, which upped the medal round from six to eight athletes. The new format also reduced the number of targets shot. So, while this decreased the presentation time for spectators, it increased the competitiveness for athletes, said USAMU Shotgun Team Chief, Sgt. 1st Class Seth Inman.
“It looks like a lot quicker paced event, with less room for error due to less targets being shot.”
The difference in formats really made the competition a “different animal,” said Staff Sgt. Will Hinton, a Dacula, Georgia native who competed in Men’s Trap.
“Before, you had a round of targets to build a lead, or bounce back, but now you have five or 10 targets and that’s all you get. It’s really do or die out there.”
Hinton earned the first spot in the final after shooting 122 out of 125 in the qualification rounds. However, once all eight athletes make it into the final, it’s a new game with no room for error.
After two sets of five targets, Hinton was the only one to shoot every target. Moving on to four more sets of five, Hinton missed only one out of 30 targets, earning him the Gold Medal at his ISSF World Cup Final debut. The Silver Medalist, Guatemala’s Jean Pierre Brol, was only one target behind Hinton with 28 hits, demonstrating the intensity that Hinton admitted feeling while competing in each set of five targets.
“I would like to say I was cool, calm and collected, but I was on edge the whole time.”
USAMU teammate Sgt. 1st Class Glenn Eller worked through the new format as well, completing the Men’s Trap Podium with the Bronze Medal. Though the five-time Olympian already has an Olympic Gold Medal and five World Cup Final Medals on his resume, this was his first World Cup Final Medal in trap. The Katy, Texas native won his prior medals in double trap before it was removed from the Olympic roster.
The mixed feelings on the new format and its demand for perfection were no different for the Soldiers competing in skeet.
USAMU’s Sgt. Samatha Simonton earned the last spot in the Women’s Skeet medal round with a qualification score of 117. Under the old format, the Soldier would have missed the medal round, but a chance to compete for a medal is all that Simonton said she needed.
“No one wants to have the last [spot], but it’s always fun to be the underdog too.”
An opportunity was all Simonton needed to shoot her way back to the top of the pack. Of course, beating perfection is hard to do, so the Soldier had to settle for the Silver Medal after China’s Jiang Yiting won the Gold Medal with a perfect score of 36.
The competition was just as intense in Men’s Skeet. Five-time Olympic Medalist, Vincent Hancock (who is also a veteran of the USAMU), earned the top spot in the medal round with a perfect qualification score of 125. USAMU’s Staff Sergeants Dustan Taylor and Christian Elliott earned their spots into the top eight with scores of 123 and 120, respectively.
Once in the final, there is no time to waste though, said, Elliott, a Greenwood, Indiana native.
“The new format is quick. It’s a sprint. Your shooting 125 targets over two days and you’re boiled down to 12, and then past that, 12 more for 24 and 36. With eight athletes, it really is a sprint, it pays to be perfect.”
As the eight athletes were whittled down, it was the three Americans battling it out for the medals. Elliott remained consistent, hitting all 36 targets to win him the Gold Medal. Hancock’s miss on target 24 meant the Silver Medal for him while Taylor settled for the Bronze Medal.
With competition this intense, the USAMU Soldiers know that one target can make all the difference. And overall, Inman says he’s been impressed with his team this year.
“They have distinguished themselves as one of the most productive teams the USAMU has ever fielded. I’m humbled and honored to lead such a talented and highly competitive group of Soldiers. The five team members who medaled at the World Cup Final, however, have risen even further. They standout amongst the team and the world stage. Currently, three of the five are ranked number one in the world, with the other two being in the top ten. I’m incredibly proud of them and wish them continued success as they move toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games”
| Date Taken: | 12.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2025 16:33 |
| Story ID: | 554250 |
| Location: | GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
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