SHOOTING: James Willett wasn’t going to practice today after arriving into the Village last night, but as soon as he woke up he knew he needed to get on the range.

Rio’s famous winds were blowing – and the 20-year-old wanted to test out his form.

“We don’t normally shoot in winds like that so I just wanted to see for myself what it was like,” Willett said.

“It might be like that for my competition so it’s good to have a look."

He only shot one round, and if you believe him, he didn’t even keep score.

Willett is the current world number one in the double trap and arrived in Rio after a solid fortnight training in Dallas with some members of the US Olympic team, a build-up he believes went perfectly.

“Training in the US was terrific, we shot on a range that is really similar to Rio so it was an ideal opportunity for some quality time on the range,” he said.

Australia has a rich history in the shotgun events through the likes of Michael Diamond and Russell Mark, and being favourite for his event, Willett hopes to continue that tradition.

“Being favourite or one of the favourites doesn’t worry me because it means people think you are shooting well.

“The shotgun is one of those events where so much comes down to the day, no one really worries who the favourite is anyway."

Willett knows there are big shoes to fill in Australian shooting – a position he’s comfortable with.

“Diamond and Mark are legends of our sport – there is a legacy there and of course I want to add my name to the list,” Willett said.

The mens’s double trap will be contested on Day 5 (Wednesday 10 August local time).

Damian Kelly
olympics.com.au