Vincent Hancock Equals World Record In South Korea, Earns Second World Cup Gold In As Many Months

Two-time Olympic champion Vincent Hancock shot a near perfect final round Sunday at the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, South Korea, equaling the world record in men’s skeet shooting and bagging his second world cup gold in two months.

Hancock, the men’s skeet gold medalist at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 and London 2012, hit 59 of 60 targets in the final, putting on a shooting clinic at the new Changwon International Shooting Range, which will host the world championships in September.

Just as he did at last month’s world cup stop in Guadalajara, Mexico, Hancock’s 59 equaled the world record set by Riccardo Filippelli of Italy and Ben Llewellin of Great Britain in 2017.

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“This range is fantastic,” Hancock commented, according to the ISSF website. “All worked well in the final – I just had to change my lenses a couple of times because of the clouds coming in and out.”

Italy’s Gabriele Rossetti, the reigning Olympic and world skeet champion, finished second after hitting 55 of 60 targets. Spain’s Juan Jose Aramburu shot 43 to claim the bronze.

Sunday’s action concluded a stellar weekend for Team USA in South Korea. On Saturday, six-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode shot a golden 58, breaking her own previous world record of 56.

After a 17-month break following the Rio Games, Hancock, a 28-year-old father of two from Eatonton, Georgia, has Tokyo firmly in his sights.

“The plan is to be the best shooter at every competition, on every station, on every target, right up to when it will matter the most: Tokyo 2020,” he said.

Blythe Lawrence is a journalist based in Seattle. She has covered two Olympic Games and is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.