Another 10 athletes will win places in the shooting competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games this month, as the ISSF Shotgun World Cup reaches Mexico. By March 9, competitors will have earned berths for their National Olympic Committees in the trap, double trap and skeet events via the Acapulco stage of the competition.

After 75 of the 390 Rio 2016 Olympic shooting places were won last year, the shoot-out in Mexico, which starts on Monday (2 March), will allocate the first spots in 2015. The two best ranked countries in the each of the three men’s competitions will earn Rio 2016 berths. Women do not compete in double trap, but two places will be awarded in both the trap and the skeet. Each country can have up to two representatives in each competition at the Rio 2016 Games.

In the men’s trap, the two places at stake in Acapulco will be contested by 87 athletes from 40 countries. In the women’s event, the USA’s Corey Cogdell-Unrein, a bronze medal-winner at the Beijing 2008 Games, is among 47 athletes from 23 countries who will be competing.

“As the World Cup season comes into full swing, I’m really excited to go up against the world’s best again, as we fight it out for Olympic quota slots,” she said. “As I know the pressure will be high, I’m also excited to test my mental toughness and see my progress after taking a year off from international competition.”

Spain’s Jesús Serrano is targeting a third consecutive Olympic Games in Rio (Photo: Getty Images/Lars Baron)

In the men’s event, Spain’s Jesús Serrano, who competed at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, where he reached the final phase, is one of the favourites to win an Olympic place. “My first goal is to reach the final,” he said. “I want to continue to improve, because I am trying new things to attempt to qualify for the Rio Games.”

In the double trap, and 47 athletes from 22 countries will be competing Mexico. In men’s skeet, 87 athletes from 36 countries will be competing, while 36 athletes from 22 countries will be attempting to qualify in the women’s skeet.

Another 260 places Rio 2016 places will be allocated via a further 13 competitions this year. Of the remaining slots, 12 will be determined in 2016, nine are allocated to host country Brazil and 24 will be distributed through invitations.

Qualification for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is an ongoing process and final entries will only be officially confirmed in July 2016 (for the Olympic Games) and August 2016 (for the Paralympic Games). Entries are recommended by national federations or sport organisations to their respective National Olympic Committees or National Paralympic Committees, who decide on final selections.