Leverett Secures Olympic Quota at Pan American Games
10/26/2023 6:35:00 AM | General, Pistol
Ohio State senior finishes third overall in rapid fire pistol to earn bronze medal
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State senior Henry Leverett claimed the bronze medal in men's rapid fire pistol at the 2023 Pan American Games and is the process also secured the United States an Olympic quote for the games in Paris next summer.
The Pan American Games, held last week in Santiago, Chile, served as yet another opportunity for Leverett to compete on the international stage. In 2020, he earned the U.S. quote in rapid fire pistol 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.
Leverett was tied for second place with a score of 23 with Douglas Gómez of Venezuela in the finals and lost the shot off, earning bronze. He bested Marko Carrillo of Peru who finished fourth.
"It feels great [to medal]," said Leverett, a Bainbridge, Ga., 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."
After the first stage of the U.S. Olympic Trials, Leverett is currently sitting in the second overall spot, one below Keith Sanderson. The next round of trails will occur in December.
"I feel great especially coming off of this," he said. "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."
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