Two Airmen represent U.S. at world shooting championships Published Oct. 1, 2014 By Janis El Shabazz Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas -- For the first time in competition history, two Air Force members represented the U.S. in the International Shooting Sport Federation World Championships in Granada, Spain. Lt. Col. Mark Gould and Master Sgt. Matthew Griffin wrapped up the 300-meter standard rifle disciplines competition Sept. 20. The championships, held two years before the Summer Olympic Games, is the first competition in the four-year Olympic cycle when shooters have the opportunity to earn Olympic quota places; a starting position leading to the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Approximately 2000 participants from 92 countries attended this year's event. Gould, a Defense Intelligence Agency foreign liaison officer at the Pentagon, said he was floored by the news of his selection. "I practically teared up," said Gould. "I was no longer representing the Air Force, I was representing the whole country and it's something I've been striving for my whole career." Gould enlisted in the Air Force in 1990. He graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Computer Systems Engineering and was commissioned in 1997. He is the senior member of the Air Force International Rifle Team, representing the Air Force in national and international shooting competition. He was the highest ranked Air Force rifle shooter at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and holds numerous Air Force and national records in multiple shooting disciplines. In the 300-meter three-position match the U.S. team, comprised of Gould and two Army members, placed eighth. Gould placed 38th overall. Griffin, a ground safety manager with the 934th Airlift Wing at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station, Minnesota, said he was overjoyed to have an opportunity to represent the Air Force and his country. "I was beyond excited," said Griffin. "I was thrilled to compete in the championships and to be a part of the whole experience that comes with attendance at an event of this magnitude." Griffin enlisted in the Air Force in 1997and has been representing the Air Force in national and international shooting competitions since 2012. He has competed in multiple shooting disciplines ranging from 50-meter rifle to 1,000-yard prone rifle matches. He has won multiple matches in national competition and is a distinguished rifleman in service rifle competition. Although the USA team did not place in the 300-meter standard rifle event, Griffin placed 33rd in the preliminaries. The Air Force International Rifle Team is the official shooting team of the Air Force, representing the Air Force in international-level shooting events, including the Olympics. According to the ISSF, the 300-meter events trace their lineage back to the first World Championships in 1897. In the standard rifle competition, Gould and Griffin both took 20 shots in each position (standing, prone, and kneeling) at a distance of 300 meters using specialized and customizable high-powered sporting rifles. Gould also competed in the free rifle competition, which allows competitors to use an even more customized rifle and included a total of 40 shots per position. To learn more about the ISSF shooting competition go to http://www.issf-sports.org/.