Over the past week a team of trap shotgun athletes represented Australia at the ISSF World Cup Shotgun event in Tangier, Morocco. The Australian Team was comprised of 7 athletes, including, Molly Bretag, Kiara Dean, & Catherine Skinner in Women’s Trap, as well as Benjamin De Pedro, Daniel Di Pietro, Cameron Ford & Craig Henwood in Men’s Trap.
This event was the first ISSF World Cup of the 2026 international season, bringing together 271 athletes from 43 federations, to compete across Trap (individual and mixed team) and Skeet (individual) events.
For our Australian athletes, the Moroccan World Cup was the first opportunity of 2026 to compete internationally and to hone their skills against talented competitors from across the globe. However, for junior athletes, Benjamin De Pedro and Cameron Ford, this event offered an opportunity for them to make their senior ISSF World Cup debuts.
Reflecting on his senior world cup debut, Cameron Ford explained “my first world cup was a fantastic learning experience. I was able to learn a lot from coaches Renae and Tom and the senior athletes.”
Cameron Ford shot 109/125 targets to place 62nd in the Men’s Trap competition, whilst Benjamin De Pedro shot 106/125 to place 71st overall.
Highlighting his key learnings from his first senior world cup, Ford explained “The travel to Morocco was long and tiring, but I learnt that this is just a part of competing at events overseas.”
2016 Olympic Gold Medallist, Catherine Skinner, had a strong start to her 2026 International Season, shooting a score of 112 out of 125 in qualification to place 7th and progress to the Women’s Trap Final, where she finished 7th overall.
Reflecting on her final’s appearance at the Moroccan World Cup, Skinner explained, “It was a positive surprise to make a final so early in my return from an unintended break, but these new finals formats are cut throat.”
Skinner commented on travelling with junior athletes, explaining “travelling with fresh faces is always good as it brings a new perspective to the team, and the incoming athletes provide amazing banter.”
She continued, “This particular trip was a trial by fire for the inexperienced, with a huge travel time and a very challenging range, but I think everyone has approached these challenges head on and came out of this trip stronger.”
To view the full Australian Team results from the ISSF World Cup Tangier, check out the link below:
FULL RESULTS FROM TANGIER WORLD CUP
Any enquiries can be directed to Jane Vella, Shooting Australia’s Sport Development, Event and Communication Manager, via jane@shootingaustralia.org or 0407 859 197.
