Junior Competitor Wins Women’s Event by .1 : Shooting: Thomson, 16, pulls off upset in three-position air rifle final at Chino.

Stephanie Thomson was supposed to be the one who failed.

The 16-year-old from Salem, Ore., was, after all, merely a junior competitor among real athletes in her sport.

But at the women’s three-position air rifle at the USA Shooting National Championships at the Prado-Tiro shooting ranges in Chino, Thomson delivered by the tiniest of margins.

Thomson upset the favorite, 31-year-old Elizabeth Bourland, and became a surprise champion with a 10.7 on her final shot and a 1266.2-1266.1 victory on Sunday, the final day of competition.

She became the second junior to win a national title, following the lead of Jayme Dickman, who won the air rifle competition Friday and finished third in three-position Saturday.

“I knew it was close going into the final shot, but I didn’t know it was that close,” Thomson said. “I just tried not to be nervous.”

While Thomson was uncharacteristically calm, Bourland was nothing like her usual self.

She had entered the finals with an extremely comfortable four-point lead, and the 1993 national champion is known as one of the steadiest shooters in the nation. But on her opening shot in the 10-shot final round, she had a 6.5.--the lowest score in the finals. Thomson scored a sub-par 8.4, but it was enough to cut Bourland’s lead in half.

“I don’t know what happened. I just messed up,” Bourland said of her opening shot. “It cost me the national championship.”

Thomson slowly reduced Bourland’s lead and moved into first on the eighth frame. Her jump was aided by another poor showing from Bourland--a 7.7 on her sixth shot. But Bourland had a 10.3 on her ninth turn, and that was a full point better the Thomson’s attempt and moved her back into first by eight-tenths of a point going into the final shot.

Then came Thomson’s closing 10.7, which is .2 short of a perfect score. Bourland finished with a 9.8.

“I am happy for Stephanie, but very disappointed with myself,” Bourland said. “She shot OK, but if I just would have shot mediocre I would have won.”