HENRY LEVERETT CLAIMS BRONZE AND OLYMPIC QUOTA AT PAN AMERICAN GAMES
By Brittany Nelson, USAS Public Relations & Communications Manager
SANTIAGO, CHILE (Oct. 25, 2023) – Henry Leverett claims a bronze medal in Men’s Raid Fire Pistol and has secured the U.S. an Olympic quota for Paris 2024 at the 2023 Pan American Games Oct. 22 in Santiago, Chile.
Henry Leverett claims a bronze medal in Men’s Raid Fire Pistol and has secured the U.S. an Olympic quota for Paris 2024 at the 2023 Pan American Games Oct. 22 in Santiago, Chile. Photo by Joshua Schave
“It feels great [to medal],” said Leverett, a Bainbridge, Georgia, native. “It is kind of unreal for me because I went into the final a little shaky knowing that a quota place was on the line. I warmed up a little bit, shot a couple of series and got used to the stress and the environment. Then I started to calm down and focus. That’s when I started shooting the five and four hits series.”
Once there were only three competitors left in the finals, Leverette was tied for second place with a score of 23 with Douglas Gómez of Venezuela. Leverette lost the shot off, earning bronze. He bested Marko Carrillo of Peru who finished fourth.
Leverett, a pistol athlete at The Ohio State University, also earned the U.S. a Men’s Rapid Fire Pistol quota for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. He earned the team’s ticket to Tokyo at the 2019 World Cup in Beijing by finishing fifth overall.
“It is incredibly special getting to do it for the second time,” said Leverett, a World Championships junior gold medalist. “Winning my first quota place in 2019 and now doing it again for this cycle is pretty special. It is exciting to represent USA Shooting, Ohio State, and the U.S. [on the podium].”
After the U.S. Olympic Trials Part One, Leverett is currently sitting in the number two overall spot, one below Keith Sanderson. Leverett mentioned that he is ready for trials part two, this December.
“I feel great especially coming off of this,” said Leverett. “I am a little bit more relaxed now that the U.S. has a quota for rapid fire. I am looking forward to training more and adding in things I learned from this competition.”
USA Shooting athletes have topped the podium 10 times as of Oct. 24. Our partners and sponsors, including The NRA Foundation, Safari Club International, The International Order of T. Roosevelt, Hillsdale College, The MidwayUSA Foundation, Spandau, ELEY, White Flyer, Ruger, and USCCA among others have been a huge support for this successful 2023 Pan American Games Team. Medals include the following:
Vincent Hancock: Gold, Men’s Skeet
Sagen Maddalena: Gold, Women’s 10m Air Rifle
Mary Tucker: Bronze, Women’s 10m Air Rifle
Rylan Kissell: Silver, Men’s 10m Air Rifle
Henry Leverett: Bronze, Men’s Rapid Fire Pistol (secured the U.S. an Olympic quota for Paris)
Rylan Kissell & Mary Tucker: Gold, Mixed 10m Air Rifle Team
Sagen Maddalena & Gavin Barnick: Bronze, Mixed 10m Air Rifle Team
Vincent Hancock & Dania Vizzi: Gold, Mixed Skeet Team
Dustan Taylor & Austen Smith: Bronze, Mixed Skeet Team
Alexis Lagan: Bronze, Women’s 25m Sport Pistol
USA Shooting athletes will be competing in rifle, pistol, and shotgun events through Oct. 27. View live scores here: https://results-santiago2023.org/#/disc ... dule/daily
Follow @USAShooting on social media for competition updates and results.