When Tom Seay boarded a plane for Portugal, he wasn't traveling as a member of Team USA. He was simply another American competitor chasing the biggest title in FITASC. A few days later, he was standing on top of the podium as the 2026 FITASC Sporting World Champion.
Against one of the strongest fields in the sport, Seay broke an incredible 187 out of 200 targets, edging France's Bastien Havart and fellow American Derrick Mein by a single target. At that level, one target is everything.
If you've followed Tom's career, though, this didn't come out of nowhere.
He's been one of the country's top shooters since he was a junior, winning multiple National Junior Championships and representing Team USA several times while serving as team captain. Over the years he's collected regional championships, PSCA victories and Gamaliel Cup titles, steadily building one of the most respected résumés in the game.
The signs were there long before Portugal. Just weeks earlier, Tom won the 2026 North American FITASC Championship at Big Red Oak Plantation, also with a score of 187. To follow that performance with a World Championship says a lot about where his game is today.
One person who has been there through much of that journey is Tom's coach—and one of his closest friends—Wendell Cherry.
Anyone involved in sporting clays knows Wendell's name. He's widely regarded as one of the finest instructors in the world, and his own accomplishments speak for themselves. More importantly, he's spent years helping shooters reach levels they never thought possible. Tom's World Championship is another example of the impact Wendell has had on the sport. Their relationship goes far beyond coach and student. It's built on years of trust, hard work and friendship, and that showed in Portugal.
Of course, championships like this are never won alone.
Tom's wife, Gracin, made the trip to Portugal and was there to experience every moment alongside him. Back home in Tennessee, Steve and Ann Seay were following every score, cheering on the son they've supported since he first started shooting. Every parent hopes to see their child accomplish something special. Watching Tom become a World Champion had to be one of those unforgettable moments.
What many people don't realize is that competitive shooting isn't Tom's full-time job.
Monday through Friday, he's the Operations Manager at Seay Oil Company, the family business his parents built from the ground up. While many of the world's top shooters spend much of the year traveling from event to event, Tom balances practice and competition with helping run one of the South Central's premier oil companies. It makes what he accomplished in Portugal even more impressive.
That's one of the things people who know Tom admire most. He's never been interested in shortcuts or excuses. Whether it's at work or at the gun club, he puts in the time, does the work and lets the results speak for themselves.
This World Championship wasn't about one great weekend. It was the payoff for years of early mornings, long drives, missed targets, practice rounds and the determination to keep getting better. It was built on the support of family, the guidance of a world-class coach and the work Tom has quietly put in for years.
He left Tennessee as one of America's best shooters.
He is coming home as the best FITASC shooter in the world.
And everyone who knows Tom would probably tell you the same thing—there isn't anyone who deserves it more.