Richard Faulds completed the World Cup season with his third medal of the year, taking the Silver at the fourth and final event in Belgrade.  A qualification round of 145 took him into the final in second place, behind Ronjan Sodhi of India, who equalled the World Record with 147.  Faulds and Sodhi both shot finals of 47, Sodhi adding an equal Final World Record to his name, leaving Richard to take the Silver, one ahead of Hakan Dahlby of Sweden. 

 

 

 

Faulds also took Bronze in the team event, alongside Steven Scott and Peter Wilson, while Stevan Walton shot a Personal Best of 144 in the MQS match.  In the Trap event David Kirk was unfortunate to miss out on the final, ending up eighth with 119 after a five-way tie shoot for the sixth place in the final.

 

 

Anita North became GBR's latest World Cup medallist yesterday with the Silver in the Women's Trap at the ISSF World Cup in Belgrade.  Anita shot a qualification round of 69 to enter the final as one of four shooters tied in third place.  A final round of 21 saw her tied for second place with Tatiana Barsuk of Russia and Iveta Loosova of the Czech Republic, one point behind the winner Giulia Iannotti of Italy.  A three way tie-shoot say the pre-final leader Loosova drop out of the medals, Anita taking the Silver 5-4 from Barsuk.

 

In the concurrent informal team event, the British trio of Anita, Lesley Goddard and Charlotte Kerwood took Silver behind the Russian trio.

 

British Shooting's Performance Director expressed his delight at another World Cup medal coming so quickly after Richard Faulds' Gold in Suhl, saying "Anita has just taken Silver in dramatic fashion in a three way shoot-off, this is her best result in a long career starting in 1993.  GBR are now starting to get on the Podium regularly in the build up to Beijing"

 

 

A 50-YEAR-OLD Infantry Major in the British Army has been appointed as the competition manager for the controversial 2012 Olympic shooting venue at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, it was announced today.

Peter Underhill, who has been involved with the sport of target shooting since he was 13 years old, will be responsibile for all the planning, organisation and management at the South East London venue that officials from British Shooting have continually tried to get changed.

They claim that the Woolwich venue will cost up to £26 million and still leave the sport with nothing to show for it after the Games.

But Underhill has vowed to work tirelessly to make sure that shooting is a success in 2012.

He said: “I am honoured and privileged to be offered such a significant role.

"The Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in London in 2012 will be the greatest sporting events to take place in this country’s history and to be part of it is exciting and inspiring.

"I know that both the London Organising Committee and British Shooting are determined to produce exceptional and unique Games in 2012; I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this once in a lifetime experience”.   

The position will initially be part-time but Underhill will start working full-time in 2010.  

During a service career spanning some 32 years, Underhill has represented the Army, England and Britain in both service rifle and small-bore target rifle shooting.

Besides international representation and national accolades in 1999 he received the Combined Services Sportsman of the year award.

 

Underhill's key responsibilities will include the overseeing of all aspects of the shooting competition and to be the focal point for liaison with the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF). 

He will ensure that the competition is organised in accordance with ISSF rules, the International Olympic Committee Charter and the Host City Contract.

Underhill will also liaise with other functional areas to ensure the coordinated delivery of support services such as accreditation, venue operations, medical services and volunteers.

He now combines minor shooting competition with a very heavy involvement within the administration of the sport, both at Army and national level.

In 2001 he was selected to be the competition manager for the Commonwealth Shooting Federation Championships and the following year was appointed shooting competition manager of the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games themselves, both events held at Bisley in Surrey.

In addition he prepared and managed the highly successful England team which won 19 medals at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.

He remains instrumental in managing England shooting affairs being the chairman of both the English Small-bore Shooting Union and the English Target Shooting Federation.

As such he sits as a director of British Shooting and as part of preparations for 2012, has recently engineered the successful bid to UK Sport and the ISSF to bring a shotgun World Cup to Britain in 2010.

He is well placed to help facilitate delivery of the Olympic Games, having been elected in 2006 to the ISSF judges committee where he acts as secretary.

Horst Schreiber, the general secretary of the ISSF, said: “We are very happy to receive the news that Peter is to be the Competition Manager.

 

"He is an obvious choice and is well equipped to cope with the challenges of the job.

"He is well known to us through his duties as a member of our ISSF Judges Committee.

"As the venue for shooting is on a military site at Woolwich, his being an Army officer will prove an invaluable asset to both the Organising Committee and ourselves.”

Phil Boakes, the chairman of British Shooting, who has been particularly critical of London 2012 for refusing to move the venue, nevertheless welcomed the appointment of Underhill.

He said: “I am delighted for Peter.  The importance of this position cannot be underestimated.

"We have in Peter a suitably trained and experienced person to play a key role in the shooting event.

"Even though London 2012 is still four years away we are pleased to begin working with the London Organising Committee to put on the best Games ever and I know that he will work tirelessly to ensure that is achieved”.     

Underhill is the fourth competition manager for the 26 sports to be appointed, following Rob Andrew in sailing, John Lunt in triathlon and Hilary Atkinson in badminton

PARALYMPICSGB has today named the four shooting athletes set to represent Britain at this summer’s Paralympic Games in Beijing.

The four-strong team includes multi-Games medallist Deanna Coates, who made her Paralympics debut in Seoul in 1988 and has since won five medals – three of them gold.

Coates, 54 from Hampshire, is joined in the squad by 21-year-old Nathan Milgate from Herne Bay, 23-year-old Matt Skelhon from Peterborough and 31-year-old James Bevis from Hereford, who will all be making their Paralympic Games debuts this summer.

Britain was allocated places for the shooting competitions at the Paralympics based on the performances of British athletes at key international competitions throughout 2006 and 2007.

Milgate said: “It is a great honour to be selected to compete in Beijing it will be a whole new experience for me, being my first Paralympics.

“The training over the next few months will be very hectic with forthcoming training camps for the whole squad, but it will be good preparation for the Games.

"The training schedule should put my in good stead for performing at my best at the games, and hopefully in the running for a medal.”

Britain's coach and performance manager, Colonel Pasan Kularatne said: “I am pleased with the progress and success of the whole GB disabled shooting squad to date.

"The selection of these athletes is testament to their commitment and dedication and we are confident that they will do their best in Beijing.

“Everyone involved with Disability Target Shooting Great Britain (DTSGB) is looking forward to a successful Paralympic Games, not just for our shooters but for the ParalympicsGB team as a whole.”

ParalympicsGB chief executive Phil Lane, said: “All four have performed tremendously well at qualification events over the last year to be selected for the ParalympicsGB team and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them on their selection, an achievement for which they should all be very proud.”

Some of the world’s most successful Paralympic shooters have come from Britain, including Paralympic champion Isabel Newstead, who won three shooting gold medals.

Newstead, who also won Paralympic golds in swimming and athletics, passed away at the beginning of 2007 following a long illness.  The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games opens on September 6 and closes on September 17. The shooting events at the Games take place at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall and will run from September 7 to 12.