By USA Shooting
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (September 11, 2026) – Every Olympian and Paralympian begins somewhere.
For many of Team USA’s current stars, that journey started at the USA Shooting National Junior Olympic Championships. Long before athletes represent the United States on the international stage, compete for NCAA titles, or earn a place on the National Team, they gain invaluable experience competing against the nation’s best young shooters at Junior Olympics.
Held each year across rifle, pistol, and shotgun, the Junior Olympic Championships serve as the foundation of USA Shooting’s athlete development pathway. With the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games just two years away and an eye already toward Brisbane 2032, this year’s championships showcased the next generation of athletes who will shape the future of Team USA.
The 2026 Junior Olympic season began with the Rifle Junior Olympics, held April 8–13 at the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s facilities in Anniston and Talladega, Alabama. Competition continued April 15–20 with the Pistol Junior Olympics at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The season concluded at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, with the Trap Shotgun Junior Olympics, held June 25–27, followed by the Skeet Shotgun Junior Olympics, held June 28–30.
Rifle Junior Olympics
Hosted by the Civilian Marksmanship Program, the Rifle Junior Olympics showcased the depth of USA Shooting’s athlete development pipeline across Olympic and Paralympic rifle disciplines.
“CMP was proud to partner with USA Shooting for the 2026 USA Shooting Junior Olympic Championships in Anniston and Talladega,” stated Gerald O’Keefe, CMP Chairman and CEO. “It was inspiring to see the next generation of Team USA athletes compete at such a high level and achieve their best scores on facilities designed to support excellence in the shooting sports. CMP was honored to help host an event that celebrated sportsmanship, dedication, and the future of marksmanship.”
Braden Peiser delivered one of the championship’s standout performances, sweeping the Junior Olympic titles in Men’s 10m Air Rifle and Men’s 50m Rifle Three Positions. Noah Abzug matched that success by capturing the U18 championships in both events, while Zachary Abzug earned the U15 title in Men’s 10m Air Rifle and James Tucker claimed the U15 championship in Men’s 50m Rifle Three Positions.
On the women’s side, Elizabeth Probst won the Junior Olympic title in 10m Air Rifle, with Lillian Blackman and Sarah Mix capturing the U18 and U15 championships. Gracie Dinh earned the Women’s 50m Rifle Three Positions title, while Karlie Lynn won the U18 championship and Chelsea Qian claimed U15 gold.
Para rifle competition also highlighted the strength of USA Shooting’s Paralympic pathway as Esther Frayne captured the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 championship. Rumi Walsh claimed the R5 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH2 title while Dorian Solimano took silver.
Pistol Junior Olympics
Held at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, the Pistol Junior Olympics brought together many of the nation’s top junior pistol athletes to compete across Olympic and Paralympic disciplines.
Blaine Simpson turned in one of the championship’s strongest performances, winning the Junior Olympic titles in both Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol and Men’s 25m Sport Pistol while also earning silver in Men’s 10m Air Pistol. Ammar Bagasra and Samuel Kim rounded out Men’s 25m Sport Pistol with U18 and U15 titles respectively.
Marcus Klemp captured the Men’s 10m Air Pistol title, while Nathan Lim and Raylan Anderson earned the U18 and U15 championships.
Suman Sanghera led the women’s field by winning the Women’s 10m Air Pistol Junior Olympic title. Jorja Litwiler claimed the U18 championship and Sara Savarde earned U15 gold. In Women’s 25m Sport Pistol, Ankita Deokule captured the Junior Olympic title, with Saanvi Singh winning U18 and Anjali Deokule taking the U15 championship.
Ty Goede highlighted the para competition, winning both the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 and P3 Mixed 25m Pistol SH1 Junior Olympic titles.
Shotgun Junior Olympics
The Junior Olympic season concluded at Hillsdale College, where the nation’s top junior shotgun athletes competed in Trap and Skeet Junior Olympic Championships across men’s and women’s divisions.
“The John A. Halter Shooting Sports Education Center is grateful for the partnership that has been fostered with USA Shooting,” said Matthew Little, Range Manager of the John A. Halter Shooting Sports Education Center. “We were honored to once again host the Shotgun National Junior Olympic Championships with resounding success. We are excited to continue supporting USA Shooting as one of the premier training centers in the United States.”
The Trap Junior Olympic Championships featured impressive performances throughout the week. Olivia Krauss led the women’s competition, earning both a Women’s Junior Olympic Squad position and the Overall Junior championship. Yuanyuan Tang captured the U18 title, Hilde Versluys claimed the U15 championship, and Marin McKinney topped the Collegiate division.
Roman Barrett highlighted the men’s competition after winning both a Men’s Junior Olympic Squad title alongside Hayden Bade and the Overall Junior championship. Adam Zoelle earned the U18 title, Rocco Bara captured the U15 championship, and Vaughan Chamblin won the Collegiate division.
Competition continued with the Skeet Junior Olympic Championships, where Cameron Roberts claimed both the Men’s Junior Olympic Squad and Overall Junior titles. Daniel Byron won the U18 championship, Logan Leblanc captured the U15 title, and Zach Hinze earned Collegiate honors.
Cameron Roberts, Brandon Fitzgerald, Miles Moss, Men’s Skeet
On the women’s side, Madalynn Schroder captured both the Overall Junior and Collegiate championships with Madison Smith earning the U18 title.
Together, the Rifle, Pistol, and Shotgun Junior Olympic Championships showcased the next generation of American talent, providing young athletes with valuable national championship experience as they continue their journey toward collegiate competition, Nahttps://usashooting.org/tomorrow-starts-…lympic-champions/tional Teams, and future international success.
Thank You to Our Hosts
USA Shooting extends its sincere appreciation to the Civilian Marksmanship Program for hosting the Rifle Junior Olympics and Hillsdale College for hosting the Shotgun Junior Olympics. Their continued partnership provides young athletes with world-class venues to compete, learn, and continue their journey toward representing Team USA on the international stage.
Complete event results are available below.
Rifle Junior Olympics – Anniston & Talladega, Alabama
April 8-13, 2026
Pistol Junior Olympics – Colorado Springs, Colorado
April 15-20, 2026
Shotgun Junior Olympics – Hillsdale, Michigan
Trap (June 25-27, 2026)
Skeet (June 28-20, 2026)
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About USA Shooting
USA Shooting, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, was chartered by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the Olympic & Paralympic Shooting Sports in April 1995. The organization develops and implements programs to promote growth in the sport and serves as a sanctioning body for local and national competitions. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, USA Shooting has a full-time staff dedicated to our sport.