Australia’s shooting team will have its final chance to push for Olympic representation next week as they compete at the Oceania Shooting Championships at the Sydney International Shooting Centre at Cecil Park in Sydney.

Heading into the continental qualifying event Australia has so far won four quota places for the London Games and has the opportunity to seal another 15 places across the four days of competition (Monday November 28-Thursday December 1).

The opening day of the event (November 28) will set the tone for Australia with five Olympic category finals to be contested across the pistol, rifle and shotgun disciplines.

Five-times Olympian Russell Mark (Hoppers Crossing, VIC) will line up in the men’s double trap alongside counterparts Steve Haberman (Geelong, VIC) and Nick Kirley (Mansfield, VIC) with just one quota place available.

For Mark, who won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and silver four years later in Sydney, the chance to compete at a sixth Games is dependent on this event.

Assuming Australia is able to win the quota in the men’s double trap, the race will then be on to decide who is nominated to the Australian Olympic Committee.

This decision will be based on the number of Performance Qualifying Score’s (PQS) each athlete has shot in the period starting in January 2011 and ending after the Olympic test event for shooting next April in London.

Currently Mark has shot three PQS’s, while Haberman and Craig Trembath (Point Cook, VIC) have each secured one, with a further seven events remaining in the qualification window.

Australian number one Robyn Van Nus (Perth, WA) will lead the charge in the women’s 10m air rifle with the Beijing Olympian hopeful of winning a quota place that will allow her to get selected on her second Olympic team.

Van Nus recorded an Australian record of 398 from 400 at Australia Cup 3 earlier this year and has been shooting consistently well, but along with Australian team mates Alethea Sedgman (Arapiles, VIC) and Alice Styles (Queanbeyan, NSW) will need to avoid the threat of New Zealand’s Jenna McKenzie.

Hayley Chapman (Aberfoyle Park, SA) and sisters Chloe and Emily Esposito (Casula, NSW) will contest the women’s 25m sport pistol, while William Godward (Kilkenny, SA), Tyren Vitler (Helena Valley, SA) and John Coombes (Canberra, ACT) will compete in the men’s 10m air rifle. One Olympic quota place is available in each of these events.

The women’s skeet will also be held on Monday, but Australia will not be able to win another quota, as Lauryn Mark (Hoppers Crossing, VIC) already secured one at the World Cup in Sydney in March this year.

Competition commences on Monday (November 28) at 8.30am with the qualification round of the men’s 10m air rifle.

Shooting Australia