SIDNEY — One shot closer to his goal.

Blaine Simpson, 17, of Sidney, won two gold medals at the 2023 Junior Olympic National Pistol Championships. Simpson, son of Lori Simpson, competed in three events and brought home the gold medal in U18 Mens Sports Pistol and U18 Mens Rapid Fire Pistol categories. He also competed in U18 Mens Air Pistol. The championships were held at the National Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 19-28.

In the sports pistol competition, each person uses a .22 long rifle. They took 30 shots in the rapid fire phase of the competition.

In the rapid fire competition, the person uses a .22 long rifle. They got five shots at five targets. They shot in a line at the targets as fast as they can. It’s one shot per target, he said. The person could repeat the process for a specific number of times for their final score.

In the air pistol competition, shooters had 1 hour and 15 minutes to shoot 60 shots. They shot air pellets with the air gun at targets for their final score.

Because of his gold finishes, Simpson was named to the 2023 Junior World Cup and Junior World Championship teams for both Sport Pistol and Rapid Fire Pistol. He will be part of the Junior World Championship teams representing the United States in international matches. The host country will announce the number of athletes they intend to invite to each match.

If the host country accepts the maximum number of athletes, Simpson will compete in Changwon, South Korea.

His next competition will be in Fort Benning, Georgia, next month to compete in the USAS Pistol Championships.

A junior at Anna High School, Simpson has been shooting since he was six or seven years old. He’s looking at Ohio State University to further his education and to be a member of their pistol team.

Simpson has been sponsored in his competitions by his mom, Lori Simpson, and grandparents, Don and Jane Simpson, of Sidney.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Blaine can contact him at [email protected].