FORT BENNING, Ga. — Libby Callahan qualified for her fourth U.S. Olympic team Thursday at age 56, finishing second in the sport pistol competition at the U.S. shooting trials to earn a trip to Beijing.
The oldest known American woman to have competed in the Summer Olympics is Kyra Downton at age 55, according to USA Shooting and the U.S. Olympic Committee. Downton was in the equestrian competition in 1968.
Beki Snyder also earned a spot by winning the sport pistol event. Three others also qualified for Beijing at the trials Thursday: Mike Anti in prone rifle, and Jason Turner and Daryl Szarenski in free pistol.
Callahan competed in the 1992, 1996 and 2004 Olympics. Snyder also is heading to the Olympics for the fourth time.
Anti qualified for his fourth trip to the Olympics, winning the prone rifle event. American Matt Emmons, the 2004 Olympic champion in prone rifle, had already secured spots for Beijing in prone and three-position rifle.
Anti won silver in 2004 in the three-position event.
“I am very excited about making the team, but we have so many good prone shooters in the U.S., so it is kind of a bittersweet victory for me,” Anti said.
Two-time Olympian Tom Tamas finished just behind Anti in the prone event Thursday.
Turner and Snyder had both already qualified in air pistol in March. Because they qualified in more than one pistol category, Brian Beaman and Brenda Shinn have now qualified for the U.S. team in air pistol.
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