Catherine Skinner (Mansfield, VIC) has finished fifth in the women’s trap at the 2011 ISSF World Shotgun Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Skinner recorded a total of 72 targets in qualifying for the six-person final in a five way tie for second, before shooting 17 targets in the final, while China’s Yingzi Liu equalled the world record in winning the gold medal with a score of 95.

Skinner also combined with fellow team members Suzy Balogh (Sydney, NSW) and Laetisha Scanlan (Berwick, VIC) to finish fourth in the women’s trap team event.

Balogh scored a total of 69 targets, while Scanlan finished on 68, with the Australian team combining to score 209, just two targets shy of China in the bronze medal position.

Skinner and Balogh secured Performance Qualifying Score’s (PQS), which is a score of 69 or over in the women’s trap, and a score that is considered the minimum benchmark when choosing Australian teams.

Skinner tied with India’s Shagun Chowdhary in the final, but because the Victorian was the first out of the two athletes to miss a target in the final, India won the one quota place on offer for the 2012 London Olympic Games. The countries with the top three ranked athletes in the final had already won quota places for next year.

The fifth place continues Skinner’s recent run of great form, after she won the silver medal at the 2011 Universiade Summer Games in China last month.

Skinner, who won the silver medal in the junior women’s trap at the 2010 world championships, said she was happy with her overall performance.

“Overall I am really happy with my performance today but just missed a few too many targets in the final,” Skinner said.

“I’ve had a great past couple of months and I am looking forward to trying to keep the run going over the next few months and try and make the Olympic team.”

Australia has one more chance to qualify an athlete in the women’s trap for the 2012 London Olympic Games team, which will come at the 2011 Oceania Championships at the Sydney International Shooting Centre later this year (November 26-December 1).

Skinner's result came after Kelly Coogan (Darwin, VIC) had earlier won a bronze medal in the junior women's trap.

Australian International Shooting Ltd