Australia’s clay target team rounded off their European Grand Prix over the weekend with another batch of excellent results at the venue that will host the 2011 ISSF World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Following Russell Mark’s second place in the men’s double trap on Friday night, 21-year-old Laetisha Scanlan (VIC) won the final of the women’s trap on Saturday with some excellent target shooting.

Scanlan, a gold medallist from the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the women’s trap pairs, shot a qualifying score of 71 from 75, before hitting 23 targets in the final to win on a total of 94.

Scanlan trailed Great Britain’s Charlotte Kerwood by two targets heading into the 25 shot single-barrel final, but held her nerve to reverse the deficit and eventually take out the event by two.

Slovakia’s world number four Suzana Stefecekova finished in third place on a score of 91, while fellow Australian Teegan McCloy (NSW) finished fifth in the final on 86 targets.

Josh Collard (VIC) continued the trend for the Australian team by winning the men’s junior trap with a score of 118 from 125.

Collard, who only recently made the transition from double trap shooting, shot consistently over the five rounds to win by three targets, while Michael McNabb (NSW) finished in third place on 113.

In the men’s trap Adam Vella (VIC) shot a total of 119 across his five rounds to finish two targets shy of a shoot-off for a place in the six-man final.

Australian International Shooting Limited CEO Nick Sullivan said the event proved to be a success.

“We achieved some really strong results across the event and to come away with four medals is a step in the right direction,” Sullivan said. “All the athletes had the chance to shoot on the same range the World Championships will be held at later this year and that should prove beneficial in the long run.

“The next step however needs to be to repeat this performance at the next World Cup in Slovenia.”

The Australian team will now return home ahead of an Australian Grand Prix event in Sydney in two weeks’ time.

The next chance to win quota places for the 2012 London Olympic Games will come at the ISSF World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia (July 7-16).

Australian International Shooting Ltd