COMM GAMES SHOOTING: Shooting Australia’s team of 29 has produced more gold in five days than any other competing Commonwealth nation in the same sport. The team’s success is ranked third on the overall Australian medal tally, behind Swimming and Cycling.
In what has been an incredibly successful campaign, the Australian Shooting team has collected six gold and two bronze medals (all in Olympic events), in an outstanding contest of marksmanship.
With just 19 medals on offer, compared to previous Games editions where the pairs’ events almost doubled the number to 36, the team's achievement has been particularly remarkable.
On the final day of competition, 49-year-old David Chapman (Hoyleton, SA) set the medal tally going by claiming the 25m Rapid Fire Men’s Pistol title.
Chapman also set a new Commonwealth Games Final record on the way to taking the gold, shooting 23 points to claim the top spot. India's Harpreet Singh took the Silver, while England's Kristian Callaghan won the bronze.
Chapman was overwhelmed by the moment as he shared his victory with his wife and daughter.
“I am extremely privileged to have won a gold medal at my third go,” Chapman said.
“At the end of the day, I have the same medal that Usain Bolt or Anna Meares have won, which is an honour and so humbling. Also to have my family here with me is just brilliant.”
Across the range, 2004 Olympic bronze medallist Adam Vella (Keilor Downs, VIC) secured his first individual Commonwealth Games gold in Men’s Trap.
The 43-year-old Victorian defeated Aaron Heading of England in a shoot-off for gold, where he clinched the top spot with a two-target lead.
Vella credited intense training for his success.
"The coaching staff has supported us and the training has paid off. This is a great achievement for the whole shooting team," Vella said.
“Although the wind caught me slightly off guard during the gold-medal match, I focused on my strategy and went straight for the targets.”
Veteran trap shooter Michael Diamond (Fingal Bay, NSW) only just missed the bronze medal by one target, in a gripping sudden-death shoot off against India's Manavjit Sandhu. Diamond had qualified for the semi-final match on a top score of 71 out of a possible 75 targets.
Shooting Australia CEO Damien Marangon said the Shooting team had exceeded all expectations.
"We are thrilled that so many of our athletes, when getting into medal positions, have actually been able to convert under pressure," Marangon said.
"Our success will help dispel stereotypes and show that we are a mainstream sport. You have to be a good athlete, not just a good shooter, to win.
“Glasgow is just the first step in the journey we need to take to truly become a successful sport and have sustained international success."
Gold medallists
Adam Vella – Men’s Trap
Daniel Repacholi – Men’s 10m Air Pistol
David Chapman – Men’s 25m Raid Fire Pistol
Laetisha Scanlan – Women’s Trap
Laura Coles – Women’s Skeet
Warren Potent – Men’s 50m Rifle Prone
Bronze medallists
Daniel Repacholi – Men’s 50m Pistol
Lalita Yauhleuskaya – Women’s 25m Pistol
Shooters collect three more medals - Day 5
COMM GAMES SHOOTING: Australia’s shooters have produced three outstanding Commonwealth Games medals on day 5 of the Commonwealth Games. At the Barry Buddon Shooting Centre, near Carnoustie they delivered two gold and a bronze.
The big-fella of pistol shooting, London Olympian Daniel Repacholi (Nulkaba, NSW) began the medal count for Australia, with a bronze medal in 50m Pistol. The medal is Repacholi’s second at the Glasgow Games, after he took the Men’s 10m Air Pistol gold in a thrilling final.
The 32-year-old miner from Cessnock has created history by winning medals in both his events at this edition of the Games. Repacholi qualified for the 50m Pistol final on a total of 543, and fought hard during the final, missing out to India’s Gurpal Singh who took the silver. The gold went to India’s Jitu Rai.
The second medal for Shooting came from veteran four-time Olympian 50m Rifle Prone athlete, Warren Potent (Currans Hill, NSW), who claimed a gold medal for Australia in an incredible display of professionalism, blitzing through the qualifier by setting a new Commonwealth Games Record with a total of 624.5.
The 52-year-old Beijing Olympic Games bronze medallist commanded the match throughout the competition, and even set a Final Games Record on his way to claiming the gold.
Potent has been in top form going into the Glasgow Games, on the back of a silver medal at the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in Maribor.
Teammate Dane Sampson (Findon, SA) narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing in a tantalising fourth place.
Over in the Shotgun discipline, 24-year-old Laetisha Scanlan (Berwick, VIC) brought home the final medal for the day, a gold no less, with great confidence, in perfect Scottish summer conditions.After a shaky start in her qualification round, Scanlan fought it out for a spot in the semi-final, surviving a tense shoot off against India’s Shreyansi Singh to make the six-person semi-final.
Her strong international experience held her in good stead as Scanlan took charge of the match in the semi-final, leading the mix with strength and confidence.
She shot 14 out of a possible 15 targets, sealing her spot in the gold-medal match, where she maintained a one-target lead over Cypriot Georgia Konstantinidou, and claimed the gold for Australia.
Fellow Australian, RMIT engineering student Catherine Skinner (East Melbourne, VIC) qualified for the final with the top score of 71/75, but faltered in the semi-final, then headed into a three-way shoot off to decide, and narrowly missed to New Zealand’s Natalie Rooney.
Speaking about the success that the sport has enjoyed, Shooting Australia CEO Damien Marangon said, “It was a great day for Shooting in Australia and it’s fantastic that we can have a real impact on Australia's overall medal tally.”“At this stage of the competition with four gold medals and two bronze medals we are delighted with how our team has performed.
“We still have another day to go and we are fiercely focused on maximising our performance and hopefully winning more medals for Australia.”
The Shooting medal tally now stands at six, with a final day of competition left.
Shooting Australia
