Pope John junior wins Bronze in air rifle competition

Pope John junior Ashlyn Blake, 16, of Sparta, recently won the Bronze medal at the Puerto Rico Sports Shooting Invitational on August 28, after attending a week-long camp with her elite national team at the Albergue Olimpico training center. This Olympic level competition invited athletes from across the world to compete in various events.

According to Blake’s family, the competition included both smallbore and air rifle events against world-class athletes from the US, Puerto Rico, and El Salvador, including a few that attended the 2020 Olympics. She finished with Bronze in the Air Rifle event against athletes with much greater experience and some twice her age. Plus, in June, she competed at the US CMP Nationals in Camp Perry, Ohio, a two-day match in which she placed second nationally.

She reportedly started shooting just to “get off iPad,” her family said, about three years ago at Franklin R&R club, and then transitioned into competition shooting about two years ago. Since that time, she’s challenged herself with tougher competitions across the eastern US, including with the West Point league during the winter season. Her family added that this activity, which started as a hobby, has since grown into “something where she is nationally recognized, with college coaches now reaching out to her.”

Her inspiration is to make the US National team and someday compete in Olympic, worlds, and Pan-American games

“We would like to congratulate Ashlyn on this tremendous achievement! You made all of us here at Pope John, Sparta community, and your country proud!”