U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Will Hinton takes aim at clay targets during the men’s trap qualification round at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, France, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (Kulani Lakanaria/U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit)

CHATEAUROUX, France — Army Staff Sgt. Will Hinton hit almost 93% of his targets while competing in men’s trap shooting qualification at the Paris Olympics.

But following two days and five rounds equaling 125 shots at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, the Dacula, Ga., native placed 27th out of 30 competitors by destroying 116 targets and didn’t come close to reaching the finals.

The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit member wasn’t satisfied with his finish, but he said a taste of the Olympic experience makes him want to return to the table.

“It’s the best of the best,” Hinton said. “Myself, I didn’t make a final, I will not medal, but my game’s in a really good spot. I look forward to bringing that forward, and this is not the (last) Games I plan to compete in.”

Hinton was happier with his effort Tuesday after a disappointing start Monday.

The 28-year-old started the second day in 29th place. In his opening round Monday, he missed three clays for a score of 22, then posted consecutive 23s.

Tuesday, he popped 23 clays with his shotgun before he missed his first one.

He then only missed the target on his 19th shot in the final round, giving him two rounds of 24.

“Yesterday, there was a lot of variables that I’m not used to,” Hinton said. “Not that that should affect my game, but I was kind of running the wrong routine. And then I did a lot of learning overnight and changed it today.”

Hinton’s American teammate, Derrick Mein, advanced to the final with a total of 122. He and Guatemala’s Jean Pierre Brol Cardenas won a tiebreaker for sixth with four others.

Mein finished fifth. Great Britain’s Nathan Hales, the world recordholder in the event, shattered the previous Olympic final mark of 43 with a 48 to win the gold, while China’s Ying Qi and Brol Cardenas took silver and bronze, respectively.

Along with the motivation to improve his game after competing against the world’s finest trap shooters, Hinton mentioned how tight knit the community is at the Olympic level.

He said the sportsmanship of everyone involved was a major positive of his time in France.

“The overwhelming support is probably the biggest thing that I did not expect,” Hinton said. “You have people that support you, random people from all over the world cheering for you.”

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Rachel Tozier takes aim at clay targets during the women’s trap qualification round at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, France, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (Kulani Lakanaria/U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit)

While the men’s event ended, the women began their quest for gold Tuesday, with Army Staff Sgt. Rachel Tozier in the field.

In her first Olympic exposure, the 32-year-old Army Marksmanship Unit member struggled in her first set of 25 attempts, missing three of the first eight.

Tozier flipped a switch after that, missing just one of her next 67 targets. The Pattonsburg, Mo., native ended with 71 of 75 potential hits and sits in 12th place, just two back of Italy’s Maria Silvana Stanco for the sixth and final qualification spot.

They’ll complete the qualification round Wednesday morning with two more sets of 25 shots, and those who advance to the final will compete at 3:30 p.m. Central European Time.