Road to Paris 2024: Defying all odds, 22-Year-Old Pistol Shooting Athlete Earns a Spot for Team USA

Ohio State student-athlete Katelyn Abeln’s road to Paris 2024 marked a beginning when the youngster secured two gold medals at the shooting championships in November. The triumph earned her a spot at the ultimate Olympic trials for rifle and pistol teams. And on the final day, Jan 7th the 22-year-old fought adversities to best the athletes around her.

“There’s no way that I made the team.’ It was really surreal,” she said, following her victory. But getting through it all, Katelyn Abeln became one of the first U.S. shooters to qualify for the Paris 2024, backed by an interesting path of uncertainties and near-misses.

From BB Gun to the stages of Paris 2024

Katelyn Abeln recalls her earliest memories as a shooter at age ten with her 4-H BB gun. The 22-year-old was revealed to have been a part of the local team but proved to be one name on the list’s end. “I was one of the worst,” she recalls. But a few years later, with her father Jerry by her side, the then 13-year-old picked up her first air pistol; unaware of marking her path to the Paris 2024 and eventual greatness. It wasn’t until her silver medal-winning performance during the 2018 Junior World Championships that Abeln fetched her Olympic dream.

In the following years, the 22-year-old underwent rigorous training to try the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but settled on being an alternative. “I was devastated,” Abeln said, “but I had a really good support system. My family, my coaches, my teammates all had my back and pushed me to go for Paris. Paris has been on my mind since I didn’t make the Tokyo team.” With that in place, Abeln fought a long path to finally grab her tickets to Paris 2024.

Katelyn Abeln’s battle through unusual circumstances

Katelyn Abeln is currently pursuing her master’s degree in public health and epidemiology at Ohio State. The youngster has climbed numerous stages and roamed numerous cities with the school as her base. However, the 22-year-old, originally from Georgia, hadn’t considered coming here until her coach, Emil Milev, got a job there. Under his guidance, Abeln led a steady and calmer path until the college finals fell on the same day as one of the Paris 2024 qualifying events.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024 News: USA Shooting Team Welcomes First Athletes to Qualify for the Olympic Team

“It was a challenge, for sure,” she recalls. However, the staff at Ohio State helped her maneuver through the circumstances and helped her reach where she needed to be. Just as she got through it, Katelyn Abeln fell victim to a grueling cold on the last day of the Olympic trials. “I didn’t really feel like it was going to happen,” she says. Nonetheless, the youngster found her support team and the courage she needed to find herself well-set on the road to Paris.

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