The 2025 ISSF Shotgun World Championships has come to a close.
During 12 days of competition at the Malakasa Shooting Range near Athens, Greece, over 400 athletes from 64 National Federations competed in 5 medal events including Men’s Skeet, Women’s Skeet, Men’s Trap, Women’s Trap and Trap Mixed Teams.
This was the first time in history that Greece has played host to the Shotgun World Championships, a competition that produced some world class results and a fierce competition. In the Men’s Skeet event, and in their debut World Championships, Matthew Everingham from Western Australia shot 116 out of 125 to place 72nd, and Frank Morris from New South Wales shot 113 out of 125 to place 94th. For a place in the final in Men’s Skeet, a score of 122 or higher was required. The gold medal went to Vincent Hancock (USA) after shooting 124 out of 125 in qualification, followed by 59 out of 60 in the final.
Of his World Championships debut, Morris said, “These were my first World Championships, and it didn’t disappoint. Seeing those compete successfully has motivated me to keep pursuing the same standard of shooting. I look forward to competing at future events.”
Reflecting on his debut, Everingham said, “Competing at my first ISSF World Championships was an incredible experience. Being part of the Australian team on such a big international stage was both exciting and humbling. The level of competition is exceptional. Every athlete is capable of world-class scores and the margin between making a final and missing out can come down to just one target. Competing against the best in the world pushes you to raise your own standards and stay focused under pressure. It’s a great learning experience and gives you a clear picture of what it takes to be among the top shooters internationally.”
Summarising his key take-aways from the World Championships, Everingham said, “My biggest take-away is how important consistency and mental resilience are at this level. Everyone can shoot great rounds, but it’s the ability to manage the pressure and adapt quickly that separates the top competitors. It’s also reinforced how valuable international experience is – from managing travel and training conditions to staying composed on the line. This event has definitely motivated me to keep improving and come back stronger at the next opportunity.”
No strangers to the International and World Championships competition circuit, Victorian, Aislin Jones, shot 115 out of 125 in Women’s Skeet qualification to place 21st. Laura Coles from Western Australia shot 110 out of 125 to place 43rd. A score of 119 or higher was required to make the final. The gold medal also went to America in Women’s Skeet with Samantha Simonton shooting 122 out of 125 in qualification, followed by 57 out of 60 in the final.
The Trap events followed the Skeet competitions, with Thomas Grice from New South Wales narrowly missing a finals berth after shooting a qualification score of 121 out of 125, placing 7th. The cut off score for the Men’s Trap final was 122.
Victorian, Mitch Iles, was also not far behind a Finals opportunity shooting 120 out of 125 targets and placing 13th. Fellow Victorian, James Willett, shot 116 out of 125, finishing 44th. Josip Glasnovic from Croatia won the Men’s Trap gold medal after shooing 124 out of 125 in qualification and then 44 out of 50 in the final.
With a combined score of 357 out of 375 targets, Grice, Iles and Willet finished 5th in the Men’s Trap Teams. Croatia took the gold medal with a score of 368 out of 375.
The Women’s Trap event was Australia’s only finals appearance of the World Championships with Victorian, Laetisha Scanlan, shooting 118 out of 125 and progressing through to a three way shoot off to determine the 6th athlete in the final. At the conclusion of the shoot off, and against an Olympic Champion, Scanlan was victorious and progressed through to the final wearing bib number 6. After 30 targets in a final filled with experience and international accolade, Scanlan shot 23 targets and was awarded 5th place. Mar Molne Magrina (Spain) won the gold medal after shooting 121 in qualifying and then 46 out of 50 in the final.
Reflecting on her appearance at this World Championships, Scanlan said, “You’re always constantly learning in this sport. Very happy to have made the final especially with a sudden death shoot off against an Olympic Champion. Obviously disappointed that this couldn’t be converted into a medal but I have learnt a lot from the competition which I will take forward into future events.”
As a result of her World Cup gold medal win in Lonato in July, Scanlan has been invited to compete in the World Cup Final in Doha in December. Speaking to what will be her last international competition of 2025, Scanlan said, “It’s always a privilege to be invited to compete in the World Cup Final. All my attention and training will be focussed on that to finish off my year strong.”
Fellow Victorian’s, Penny Smith and Kiara Dean, also competed in the Women’s Trap event. Smith finished in 17th with a qualification score of 114 out of 125, whilst Dean finished her first senior ISSF World Championships in 24th with a score of 111.
The Australian Women’s Trap trio secured the bronze medal in the team event with a combined score of 345/375.
Reflecting on her World Championships appearance in Greece, Smith said, “The World Championships in Athens was another great learning experience. For me personally, I started slow, had a trigger malfunction in my second round, and finished my match consistently.”
Celebrating the bronze medal win in the Women’s Trap Team event, Smith said, “It was great to walk away with a medal in the Teams Event alongside Kiara (first World Championships) and Laetisha. We have great strength in our Women’s Trap team, not only domestically, but also internationally, and its great to see the success continue.”
Throughout the ISSF Shotgun World Championships, the Australian team was supported by Shotgun Performance Coach, Renae Birgan, Trap Coach, Tom Turner, Skeet Coach, George Barton, VIS (Victorian Institute of Sport) Support Staff, Daniel Dymond and Josh Ferguson as well as Shotgun Program Manager and Team Manager, Adam Hoskings.
Acknowledging the team that supports the Australian athletes, Smith said, “Thanks to Renae and Tommy and the rest of the Shooting Australia and Victorian Institute of Sport staff for supporting the Team throughout this World Championships campaign.”
The final event of the World Championships was the Trap Mixed Team event with two teams representing Australia. Once again competition was fierce with the Australian teams narrowly missing out on a medal match opportunity. Thomas Grice and Kiara Dean shot a combined score of 143 out of 150, and Mitch Iles and Penny Smith shot 142 out of 150. The cut off score to make the shoot off for a medal match was 144 out of 150! Full results from the 2025 ISSF Shotgun World Championships can be found at:
