Will Brown had definitely a great first time in Fort Benning, GA, shooting in his home country. Indeed, the 10m Air Pistol event became the first ISSF final round of his career, resulting straightaway in a Gold medal. And that didn't surprise him at all: “Winning was the plan”, commented Brown after the match. Not a bad start for this 21-year-old shooter.
Brown, originally from Idaho, is part of the USA Shooting Team; the Fort Benning success was his first World Cup medal in career, and this was only the fifth time for a National Team member to win gold in the Air Pistol discipline, since ISSF World Cups began in 1986 (124 World Cups ago!) Will has just started, but somehow he's already in the USA Team history.
Now, the National Pistol Coach is proud of him: “Will had a great performance in the final,” - said Sergey Luzoz - “That’s what he’s capable of certainly and it proves that our younger athletes are ready for this moment.”
Luzoz's was clear: Brown's young, but he's mature enough to face the most important sporting events in the international scenario. And it seems like Brown got the message: “This was my first final, - he said - but I won’t stop now. I'll be at the Munich World Cup this month and maybe go to Spain afterwards.” Sounds like a plan.
Brown had actually to deal with some tough opponents: two-time Olympian Oleh Omelchuk of Ukraine (eight year’s Browns senior) only came second, beat by two points lead; the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Vladimir Isakov of Russia was also in the match, but finished just fifth. Brown probably didn't need to build self-confidence, but after winning a Gold medal against such notable shooters, he's of course aware of his skills.
Brown is a shining star in his team, but he's not the only one: during this ISSF World Cup Stage, there was in fact another young medalist under the American flag: it's Dempster Christenson, who won the silver medal in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle event. They both are Olympic Training Center resident athletes. The USA Team can be quite optimistic looking towards its future. All they need is that Brown's plans will remain the same.