SHOOTING: Shooting Australia’s charge at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship in Granada, Spain (6-20 September) will be led by four Glasgow Commonwealth Games champions.
Confident about having improved their medal chances, Adam Vella (Keilor, VIC), Laetisha Scanlan (Berwick, VIC), Laura Coles (Hocking, WA) and Warren Potent (Currans Hill, NSW) will line up in their respective events. Each will aim to add to their recent Commonwealth Games gold medals, as they go head-to-head with the world’s finest shooters, at what is the biggest and toughest event of the sport.
Shooting Australia CEO Damien Marangon said that the benchmark competition offered a crucial incentive for those on the road to Rio.
“The Granada World Championship presents the first opportunity for Australian athletes to battle it out for quota places. Winning a World Championship medal would be special, however, securing a quota place for Australia for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games provides an added bonus,” Marangon said.
Athens Olympic Games bronze medallist and recent Commonwealth Games champion Vella will line up in Men’s Trap, along with dual Olympic gold medallist Michael Diamond (Fingal Bay, NSW). Diamond is currently ranked World No. 10.
The Women’s Trap competition will see a trio of Scanlan, Catherine Skinner (East Melbourne, VIC) and Teegan McCloy (Cardiff, NSW) take on tough competition, expected mostly from the USA and Italy. Scanlan has risen to World No.3, while Skinner holds the World No. 11 rank and young McCloy will be getting her first taste of a World Championship.
Beijing Olympic Games bronze medallist Potent, who is currently Australia’s second highest ranked athlete (World No. 4), will take on other world-leaders in 50m Rifle Men’s Prone. Potent will be setting his sights on another successful campaign, after enjoying a solid ISSF World Cup season which has delivered three straight finals including a silver medal.
27-year-old exercise physiologist Coles will look to consolidate her strong form in Women’s Skeet, as she zeroes in on the Worlds. The un-assuming, petite shooter shocked the world with her gold-class performance, displaying nerves of steel in Glasgow.
2010 Munich World Championship silver medallist, Lalita Yauhleuskaya (Berwick, VIC) will be focusing on securing another medal this year, on the back of a bronze from Glasgow. The 50-year-old veteran pistol shooter won the first quota place for Australia for the London 2012 Olympic Games and will be looking to repeat that effort for the Rio Olympic Games.
The team will be no doubt strive hard at this benchmark event, as they aim to back up their success from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where they eclipsed their medal targets, when Shooting secured six gold and two bronze for Australia.
In all, there will be 64 quota places available at the Granada World Championship, towards the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
Full results from the ISSF World Championship are available here: http://www.issf-sports.org/
Shooting Australia
Full Australian team:
PISTOL
25m Sport Pistol
Lalita Yauhleuskaya (Berwick, VIC
Air Pistol
Lalita Yauhleuskaya (Berwick, VIC)
RIFLE
50m 3 Position Men
Dane Sampson (Findon, SA)
Prone Men
Dane Sampson (Findon, SA)
Warren Potent (Currans Hill, NSW)
Thomas Versace (Wandoan, QLD)
Air Rifle Men
Dane Sampson (Findon, SA)
300m Prone
David Wright (Goulburn, NSW)
Angus Bell (Minchinbury, NSW)
Warren Potent (Currans Hill, NSW)
Junior Men Prone
Frederyk Woodhouse (Findon, SA)
Junior Men Air Rifle
Jack Rossiter (Onkaparinga Hills, SA)
Junior Women Air Rifle
Emma Adams (Woodcroft, SA)
SHOTGUN
Trap Men
Adam Vella (Keilor, VIC)
Michael Diamond (Fingal Bay, NSW)
Double Trap
Russell Mark (Hoppers Crossing, VIC)
Thomas Turner (Bellbird, NSW)
Skeet
Paul Adams (Kippa-Ring, QLD)
Keith Ferguson (Sale, VIC)
Trap Women
Laetisha Scanlan (Berwick, VIC)
Catherine Skinner (East Melbourne, VIC)
Teegan McCloy (Cardiff, NSW)
Skeet Women
Laura Coles (Hocking, WA)
Double Trap Women
Emma Cox (Bendigo, VIC)
Gaye Shale (Rutherglen, VIC)
