Overnight, Australia’s Laetisha Scanlan and Mitch Iles secured gold in the Trap Mixed Team event at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Lonato Del Garda, Italy.
In their first international appearance as a mixed team pairing, Scanlan and Iles finished qualification tied with three other teams on 143 out of 150 targets, forcing a shoot-off to decide who would advance to the gold medal match. The Australians faced two Spanish pairs and Great Britain’s Matthew Coward‑Holley & Ellie Seward before going head-to-head against the Tokyo 2020 Mixed Team Olympic Champions, Alberto Fernández and Fátima Gálvez in the gold medal match. Scanlan and Iles shot a combined score 45 out of 50 targets, over Spain’s 41 to clinch the gold, while Great Britain took the bronze over Spain’s Andres Garcia and Mar Molne Magrina.
After an epic end to qualification, with four teams tied on 143 and having to shoot off to secure their place in the gold medal match, Iles reflected that “It felt very good, that was our ultimate aim and we achieved it.”
The win capped off a remarkable Lonato campaign for Scanlan, who had secured the Women’s Trap individual gold just 24 hours earlier.
“This really has been a dream event for me,” Scanlan said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better performance in the individual and teams. I’m really happy Mitch and I walked away with gold this afternoon against the reigning Olympic champions.”
This medal continues a successful year for Iles, who has now earned three World Cup podiums in the mixed team event, following earlier successes of a gold and silver medal with teammate Penny Smith.
“Going into today’s final, my past results reinforced that I’m confident in my process and just to be confident in myself,” he said.
The 2025 Lonato World Cup featured over 500 athletes from 73 countries competing across Trap and Skeet disciplines, including 183 entries in Men’s Trap and 102 in Women’s Trap, highlighting the event’s world-class standard.
“Giovanni Pellielo winning gold in the individual [Men’s Trap] shows that you can still be more than competitive at the ripe old age of 55 against the best shooters in the world,” the team reflected. “It’s also impressive for a country like Australia, who do not have full-time professional shooters, to be competitive against the world. This is a testament to our grit and competitive nature.”
Other results from the Trap Mixed Team event:
Australia’s second mixed team pairing of James Willett and Penny Smith finished qualification with a combined score of 138, placing them middle of the pack in a field of 54 teams.
With two World Cup gold medals secured over successive days, the Australian Shotgun Team concludes its Lonato campaign with strong momentum as it looks ahead to the remainder of the 2025 season.
You can view all results from the Lonato World Cup via https://www.issf-sports.org/competitions/3272/results
For all media enquiries, please contact Jane Vella 0407 859 197 or jane@shootingaustralia.org
