Warren's Story
After relatively uninspiring performances at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, Warren Potent entered the shooting events at Beijing 2008 as a world-rated performer. The New South Welshman lived up to his rating in finishing third in the 50 metres small-bore rifle (prone position), behind Artur Ayvazian, of Ukraine, and the reigning Olympic champion, Matt Emmons of the United States. His medal was the first by an Australian in any Olympic rifle-shooting event. All other Olympic medals, by men and women, had been in shotgun or pistol events.
At fifty years of age, Potent competed at his fourth Olympic Games in London where he finished 32nd in the 50m rifle prone.
In 1986, Potent, Don Brook (3-time Olympian) and Alan Smith (2-time Olympian) had combined to win the 50 metres rifle (prone) team world championship. Eighteen years later at the 2014 World Championships in Granada, Spain he won his first World Title at the age of 52, after also winning the Commonwealth Games a month earlier.
He returned for his final Olympic competition in Rio where he scored 620.0 in qualification to finish 35th overall.
