Lucas Kozeniesky And Mary Tucker Win First Shooting World Cup Titles

Lucas Kozeniesky competes at the Pan American Games Lima 2019 on Aug. 2, 2019 in Lima, Peru.

With the Olympic Games awaiting them this summer, Lucas Kozeniesky and Mary Tucker got off to perfect starts in 2021 by winning their first career shooting world cup gold medals Saturday in New Delhi, India.

Each athlete captured the 10-meter air rifle title, with Kozeniesky edging Hungary’s Istvan Peni by .1 points and Tucker besting her U.S. teammate Ali Weisz by 1.1 points. The silver medal for Weisz was also a career-best finish in a world cup. All three athletes are already qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team in rifle, along with William Shaner, who failed to qualify Saturday for the 10-meter final.
Kozeniesky also competed in the Olympic Games Rio 2016. The 25-year-old from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was the gold medalist at the 2019 Pan American Games in 10-meter air rifle. His previous best finish at a world cup was 18th in Beijing in 2019.
Tucker will be competing in her first Olympic Games later this summer. The 19-year-old from Sarasota, Florida, taught herself to shoot in her family’s garage using YouTube and other online tutorials as a guide. She had a previous career-best finish at a world cup of eighth in Rio in 2019. 
Other action Saturday included men’s and women’s 10-meter air pistol. Team USA’s Nick Mowrer, also an Olympic qualifier, made the final and finished eighth. The world cup continues with competition through March 28.