Georgia Army soldier helps U.S. bring home gold medal in international shooting competition
Spc. Samantha Simonton, a marksmanship instructor/competitive shooter with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Shotgun Team, competes at the Federation Francaise De Tir Grand Prix in Chateauroux, France April 14 - 16. The Gainesville, Georgia resident, w
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - The United States is bringing home the gold from one of the world's biggest skeet shooting competitions thanks to the skills of a Georgia soldier.
Spc. Samantha Simonton, a Gainesville native, helped her team secure the gold medal in the women's skeet team category at the Federation Francaise De Tir Grand Prix in Chateauroux, France this week.
On the cold and rainy day, Simonton, who is stationed at Fort Benning, competed with Kim Rhode and Dania Vizzi to get a combined score of 337 - beating China and France by just two and three points respectively.
The women weren't the only Americans who excelled at the shooting competition. Fort Benning Staff Sgt. Dustan Taylor completed four out of five perfect rounds in the individual men's category. He ended up taking second place to his USA Shooting teammate Vincent Hancock in a shoot-off.
Spc. Samantha Simonton (right), a marksmanship instructor/competitive shooters with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Shotgun Team, competed at the Federation Francaise De Tir Grand Prix in Chateauroux, France April 14 - 16. The Gainesville, Georgia re
Taylor and Hancock then joined forces and, along with Staff Sgt. Christian Elliot, took home the gold medal in the men's team category.
The U.S. Team was part of 130 total competitors in the event, which uses the same ranges that will be seen in the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.
All three Fort Benning soldiers are marksmanship instructors or competitive shooters with the U.S. Marksmanship Unit's Shotgun Team.