Alaska News

Alaskan trap shooter Cogdell on her way to second Olympics

Alaskan trap shooter Corey Cogdell is, once again, officially on the roster of athetes headed to the Summer Olympics.

The 25-year-old Eagle River bronze medalist won her first Olympic prize at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. This year she'll have another chance to bolster her growing collection of awards.

The 2012 Summer Games in London are scheduled to begin Friday July 27 with the women's trap shooting qualification rounds to be contested Aug. 4. All shooting events will take place at the grounds of the historic Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. However, trap shooting will be held in a temporary venue built exclusively for the Olympics and not in the Royal Barracks themselves.

Trap shooting is one of three clay pigeon competitions; skeet shooting and sporting clays are the other two. Athletes use a shotgun to hit clay projectiles. There are a few variations of trap, but Olympic trap is what we'll see at the games. There are 75 targets in the women's qualification round, and the six best shooters advance to finals with another 25 targets. Olympic trap is wildly considered the most difficult trap event.

Given Cogdell's Olympic experience, she is expected to be among the favorites.

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