2012 was a breakthrough year for pistol shooter Hayley Chapman as she made her Olympic debut in London, but the 20-year-old has already moved on from that experience – and moved across the country to help her achieve her goals.
2012 was a breakthrough year for pistol shooter Hayley Chapman as she made her Olympic debut in London, but the 20-year-old has already moved on from that experience – and moved across the country to help her achieve her goals.
Chapman, who has spent her life to date on the family property just outside Hoyleton in South Australia, earlier this month moved to Sydney in order to progress her career.
“Shooting is a very individual and isolated sport and I craved social interaction during training, which affected my motivation to train significantly,” Chapman said. “I am now training everyday with my team mate Emily Esposito.
“It has already helped me greatly and we are monitoring each other’s training programs and keeping each other accountable.”
Chapman will put her training to one side next week however as she takes on the role of ambassador for the Australian team competing at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) in Sydney.
Having competed in the event herself four years ago, Chapman said she was looking forward to the challenge of helping the team.
“Ambassadors play a very significant role at AYOF as athletes are looking for people to connect with,” Chapman said. “Advice I would give is to soak in every moment and don’t get carried away with tomorrow or yesterday and just focus on whatever you’re doing right now.
“I was able to spend a bit of time with the ambassadors in London and they were really open and gave some great advice, so I’ll be trying to relay that information on.”
Following AYOF Chapman will turn her attention to the 2013 season as she refocuses her goals for the new Olympic cycle.
“2013 is a relatively quiet year for sport, but my goals are to consistently shoot Performance Qualification Scores, compete in the World Cups and continue to improve my PB,” Chapman said. “I am working a lot on my precision shooting and want to get these scores matching my rapid fire scores.
“London was a massive learning experience for me, as I learnt things within myself, but was also able to watch how other athletes prepared themselves and how they reacted to different situations including the media, crowds and disappointment.
“I still have so much to learn, but London was definitely was a kick in the right direction.”
AISL
