SHOOTING: Athletes at the Sydney International Shooting Centre are gearing up for the next few days of competition, starting with pre-event training on Wednesday.

18-year-old Lachlan Tremble, competing in the 50 metre free pistol and 10 metre air pistol, said he was thrilled to have been selected on the Australian team for the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF).

“It is my first massive international event that I have competed in and I’m really excited to be here,” Tremble said.

Tremble first started shooting in 2009 at the age of 15. He was introduced to the sport by his father, a recreational shooter.

Tremble was extremely pleased with his training on Wednesday morning.

“I had no expectations going into my training. I was completely unsure of how I would go,” Tremble said.

“I focused on what I knew I needed to do. It came together and I focused even harder and it just worked really well.

“My confidence has soared after training this morning, a great little boost before competition starts tomorrow.”

As with many of his fellow competitors, Tremble has some big aspirations for continuing in the sport, hoping to eventually compete in the Olympic Games.

“I would love to compete in more international events and travel with the sport and eventually reach the Olympic level,” Tremble said.

“I know there are a lot of long hard years of intense training ahead of me but that is my ultimate goal.

“It is a great experience for me to be able to compete at the AYOF. It is fantastic to be able to mix with competitors from other countries and meet lots of new people in my sport.”

Shooting begins on Thursday with Australians competing in the women’s and men’s air pistol and the men’s 3 position rifle.

Competition begins at 8.30am with Emily Esposito and Kayla Tompkins leading off Australia’s charge in the women’s 10m air pistol.

Sophie Morrison

Olympics.com.au