Dania Vizzi’s Two Gold Medals Lead U.S. Shotgun Shooters At Lima World Cup

by Chrös McDougall

Kayle Browning competes during the trap women's finals at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on July 29, 2021 in Asaka, Saitama, Japan.

 

Skeet shooter Dania Vizzi notched two of Team USA’s four gold medals over the past week at the shotgun world cup in Lima, Peru. With 11 total medals, the Americans ended the competition with nearly twice as many as the next best country Italy, which won six.
Vizzi, a 27-year-old from Tampa, Florida, led the way for the U.S. shooters, claiming the women’s skeet title on Monday and then helping the U.S. women’s skeet team win their event the following day.
In total, the U.S. won five individual medals while reaching the podium in five of the six team events. The performance follows a seven-medal U.S. showing at the season’s first shotgun world cup, which took place March 8-19 in Nicosia, Cyprus. However, the U.S. didn’t win any gold medals in Cyprus.
The Lima competition began last week with the trap events. On March 30, Olympian Kayle Browning finished second in the individual women’s event, while fellow Olympian Derrick Mein was third in the men’s event.
The following day, the women’s team of Browning, Aeriel Skinner and Olympian Rachel Tozier beat Guatemala, while the men’s team of William Hinton, Mein and Casey Wallace beat Spain to sweep the trap team titles. 
Browning and Olympian Derek Haldeman won the trap mixed team bronze on April 1.
Switching over to skeet, Americans took three of the top four women’s spots on Monday, with Vizzi holding off teammate and 2020 Olympian Austen Smith, who took second. Caitlin Connor was just off the podium in fourth. On the men’s side, Hayden Stewart claimed the bronze medal.
Connor, Smith and Vizzi then combined to defeat Italy in the women’s skeet team gold-medal match on Tuesday.
In the final event of the competition Wednesday, Smith became one of two Americans to claim three medals in Lima when she teamed with Dustan Taylor to win a silver medal in the skeet mixed team event. They fell to Italy in a shoot-off. Connor was the other three-time Team USA medalist after partnering with Stewart to claim a bronze medal in the event.
The shotgun world cup schedule resumes April 19-30 in Lonato, Italy.


Chrös McDougall has covered the Olympic and Paralympic Movement for TeamUSA.org since 2009 on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc. He is based in Minneapolis-St. Paul.