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Silver and three Bronze Medals Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Monday, 30 July 2007

Britain's top shooters have returned from the Open European Shooting Championships with four medals and several impressive performances.

The European Championships took place in conjunction with the Open Championships, which saw 16 non-European countries also take part.

Newcomer James Bevis led Britain's top performances by winning bronze in both the Open and European rankings in the R5 mixed 10m air rifle. Bevis, in only his third international event and first European Championships, shot a lifetime best - a perfect 600 score - to lead the field into the finals. He battled in a shoot-off against two other shooters, including Athens 2004 Paralympic Games gold medalist Minna Leinonen, at the end of the 10 shot final to eventually take bronze. 

Paralympian Di Coates showed a return to form at the event, winning silver in the women's 10m R2 air rifle SH1 for the European contest, with a score of 389 and final of 101.5 to better her bronze medal at the same event two years ago. This score saw her finish 4th in the open rankings. 

There was also a medal for Karen Butler, who took bronze in the R8 sport rifle .22 ,  which also saw her finish 6th in the open championship rankings.

Team Manager Pasan Kularatne, said:  "It is good to see new blood coming through and performing so creditably at world class competition."  British Paralympic Association (BPA) Performance Manager for shooting said: "This European Championships has been the largest ISCD competition to date with 287 athletes from 45 nations.   Great Britain's athletes have all performed creditably and we come home with four medals from a team of six, which includes development athletes. James Bevis performed an outstanding debut to claim 3rd place in world class competition in his R4 event."

There were also solid performances from other members of the British team. Newcomer Matthew Skelhon, competing in his third international competition, shot a Minimum Qualification Score (MQS) by two points with a score of 565 in the men's standing 10m air rifle R1, while Nathan Milgate shot 578 in the same event. Milgate then just missed out on the finals in the R3 10m air rifle mixed prone, with his score of 598.

Chris Summerscales put in a good performance to shot 554 in the P1 pistol competition to place 23rd, which saw him finish in the top third of a field of 77 competitors.

The Open European Shooting Championships took place in Suhl, Germany from July 23 to 27. Around 287 athletes from 45 countries - including 16 non-European nations - took part in the championships, which was an opportunity for athletes to score ranking points to qualify for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Last Updated ( Monday, 28 January 2008 )
 
Silver Medal for Lee Print E-mail
Written by Donald McIntosh   
Sunday, 15 July 2007

Sharon Lee won Great Britain’s third medal at the European Championships in Granada, with Silver in the Women’s 50m Prone Rifle event.  Sharon and Beata Krzyzewsky of Hungary tied for first place with a score of 591, with Solveig Bibard of France third on 590.  Sharon lost out on the Gold under the countback tie-break system which compares the scores in the last ten shot series and then works backward by ten shot series until the tie is broken.

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Women's Prone Medal Winners
 

Sharon, who won Great Britain’s last female rifle medal at a European Championship when she took silver in the junior version of the same event in Sofia eleven years ago, and her team mates Sheena Sharp and Helen Spittles were unfortunate to miss out on a team medal, coming fourth just a single point behind Finland, with Hungary and Switzerland taking Gold and Silver respectively.
Last Updated ( Monday, 28 January 2008 )
 
Silver Medal for Burton Print E-mail
Written by Donald McIntosh   
Sunday, 15 July 2007
Great Britain took a second silver medal at the European Championships today, with Abbey Burton second in the Junior Women's Trap event.  Abbey, previously a silver medallist in this event at the 2005 World Championships and a bronze medallist at both the 2004 and 2005 European Championships, entered the final in first place with a qualification round of 67, but was overtaken by Elodie Conesa of France, missing the title by one target.
In the Senior Women's event, Charlotte Kerwood was best placed of the three Britons, taking 9th with a total of 67, the women's team coming fourth, four targets off the bronze. 
Last Updated ( Monday, 28 January 2008 )
 
Double Trap Bronze Medals Print E-mail
Written by Paul Taylor   
Friday, 13 July 2007

Great Britain won two medals on the first day of the Shotgun events at the European Championships in Granada.  Steve Scott shot a qualification round of 140 to enter the final of the Men’s Double Trap in equal fifth place, two points off the lead.  A final round of 46 moved the Performance Pathway athlete up to third place behind Daniele Di Spigno or Italy and Vitaly Fokeev of Russia, with the single quota place available being taken by the Italian

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Men's Double Trap Medal Winners
 

In the Junior Men’s Double Trap, Luke Garner also secured a Bronze medal, 131 + 42 overhauling Alessandro Chianese of Italy, to take third place behind Vlad Miroshnichenko and Artem Nekrasov of Russia.

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Junior Men's Double Trap Winners

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Luke Garner
 
Last Updated ( Monday, 28 January 2008 )
 
Hammond Wins Olympic Quota Place Print E-mail
Written by Donald McIntosh   
Friday, 13 July 2007

Great Britain secured a rifle quota place for the Beijing Olympic Games at the European Championships in Granada when Performance Pathway shooter Jon Hammond took fourth place in the Men’s 50m Prone Rifle.  A new Personal Best score of 597 placed the 1998 World Junior Champion in equal second place going into the ten-shot final, just one point behind Marco De Nicolo of Italy, sharing second with three other shooters with a further two finalists only one point behind on 596. 

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Jon Hammond in action
 

With four of the finalists eligible to take the three quota places on offer, a very tense and closely fought final ensued, with De Nicolo hanging on to his lead to secure the title.  Hammond’s final total of 700.0 narrowly missed out on the medals, the very experienced Artem Khadjibekov of Russia and Espen Berg-Knutsen of Norway taking silver and bronze with 700.7 and 700.6 respectively.  The quota places went to Norway, Great Britain and the Czech Republic in 3rd, 4th and 7th places respectively.

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Men's Prone Final
 

Hammond, currently employed as the rifle coach at West Virginia University in the USA, returns to action on Sunday when he competes in the Men’s Three Positions event.
Last Updated ( Monday, 28 January 2008 )
 
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