By Jayson Henderson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City area is sending two competitors to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Staff Sgt. Rachel Tozier, from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Moore, Georgia, and Derrick Mein of Paola, Kansas, will compete for Team USA in trapshooting.

Tozier, making her Olympic debut, qualified at the trials in Tucson, Arizona, in March. She started shooting at age 12 and managed the Kansas City Trapshooters Association range in Smithville, Missouri, before joining the Army. Growing up in Pattonsburg, Missouri, Tozier is excited to compete on the world stage and aims to bring home a medal.

Mein, competing in his second Olympics, participated in the 2020 Tokyo Games, where he finished 24th. Raised on a family farm in Walnut, Kansas, Mein has experience in the sport and is determined to improve his performance in Paris. He emphasizes the importance of reaching the finals and hopes for a podium finish.

Half of this year’s Team USA shotgun trapshooters come from the Kansas City area, highlighting the region’s talent in the sport. Trapshooting events at the 2024 Paris Olympics begin on July 29 for men and July 30 for women. NBC will broadcast the finals on July 30 and 31, offering fans a chance to cheer on these local champions.