Australia’s Joshua Bell and Aislin Jones have closed out the 10 days of the Olympic shooting competition, competing in the Olympic debut event, the Skeet Mixed Teams.
Under hot Parisian skies, Josh Bell and Aislin Jones have shot a combined score of 141 out of 150, to finishing in 11th place overall in the Mixed Skeet Teams - just five targets away from a medal opportunity.
The Australians relished the opportunity of competing alongside the French team who were supported by the enthusiastic and vocal crowd.
“Shooting with the French team, the atmosphere was unreal,” Aislin said.
“Having the Aussies intermingled in the French crowd and trying to compete, I don’t think you can match that. It was an incredible experience.”
Bringing his Olympic debut to a close, Bell cited the experience as “memorable”.
“Confidence is a key takeaway for me,” he said.
“I am sure I am 10 times the competitor walking away from this than when I came into competition.
“I can’t be disappointed. I have held my head high and did my best. Unfortunately, at the Olympics, you need to make sure you always have your best
day.”
Head of Delegation and Shooting Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Adam Sachs expressed his gratitude to the team.
“I want to thank and congratulate every member of our Shooting Team at these Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” he said.
“Every one of them has demonstrated the dedication and professionalism that we have come to expect from members of an Australian Olympic Team.
“I want to pay tribute to Penny Smith and James Willett for making their finals in the Women’s Trap and Men’s Trap finals.
“On behalf of the entire Australian Shooting community, I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Penny for winning the Olympic bronze medal. We are all so proud of this achievement.”
Competing in his fourth consecutive Olympic Games in the rifle events, and the most senior member of the Australian Shooting Team, Dane Sampson commended his teammates for their professionalism.
“I think everyone in the team was working in a very professional and respectful way,” he said.
“It was a really supportive environment, and I think it was one of the most integrated teams in the four Games I have been part of. The support network around the team was excellent and I don’t think we as athletes could have asked for anything better.”
The Shooting was held at a subsite 270 kilometres south of Paris.
“This was my first Olympic Games where the athletes have been based in a satellite village,” Dane said.
“I think this environment was very beneficial to producing high-performance results as it attracts less disturbances and distractions, and less chance of being overwhelmed by the environment the Olympic Village can sometimes create.
“The quality of competition has been extremely high and, in many events, higher than expected.
“The cut off scores required to make a final were also very high when typically, you would expect them to be lower than a World Cup, but this was not the case for this Olympics.”
This year’s Games was the 10th consecutive Olympics for Australian rifle coach Petr Kurka.
“I have attended three Games as a competitor for Czech and three as a coach, and Paris 2024 is the fourth Games coaching the Australian Team,” he said.
“Leading into the Games I don’t think our preparation in Australia could have been any better. Then spending extensive time in Europe was also extremely beneficial in the lead up.
“The two rifle athletes were very ready. The level of competition was high and what we expected as the Olympic Games has the best athletes in the world and comes with a different kind of pressure.”
The Australian Shooting Team will now commence their departures from Chateauroux, with some of the athletes returning to the Olympic Village in Paris in preparation for the closing ceremony.
Jane Vella