Over the past ten days (16th – 26th June), a team of 13 junior athletes represented Australia at the 2026 ISSF Junior World Championships (Rifle, Pistol & Shotgun) in Suhl, Germany.
The Junior World Championship brought together 808 of the world’s most promising junior target shooting sport athletes from 66 different countries and 70 ISSF Member Federations.
Our Australian team comprised four pistol, three rifle and six shotgun athletes, with the Championships providing invaluable international experience. The event enabled athletes to compete against some of the world’s best Junior athletes, while gaining exposure to the exceptionally high standards of international competition.
Australian pistol athletes included Tanvi Lathwal, Benjamin Paulino, Talia Woodroffe, and Lucas Wang, who made his international ISSF competition debut. Tanvi, Benjamin and Lucas competed in the 10m Air Pistol individual events (Men’s and Women’s), and all four athletes competed in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event. Talia also competed in the 25m Pistol Women’s event.
In the rifle component of the Championships, siblings Emily Cane and James Cane competed alongside Charlotte Bland. All three athletes competed in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions, 10m Air Rifle individual and 50m Prone events. Emily and James also competed in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Teams event.
Jack Brandt, Riley Hughes-Gage and Aimee Norris also made their ISSF International competition debuts, competing in the Men’s and Women’s Trap events. They were joined by Benjamin De Pedro, Cameron Ford and Fletcher Richardson. Both Jack and Aimee recorded personal best scores at the end of their qualification, with Jack shooting 118 out of 125 targets to finish 17th in the Men’s Trap, and Aimee shooting 111/125 to finish 16th in the Women’s Trap event.
Making his ISSF World Cup debut in Morocco earlier this year, Cameron had a standout Australian performance at his first Junior World Championships. Shooting a new personal best score of 122/125 in Men’s Trap qualification, Cameron progressed through to the final as the second highest qualifier. He went on to shoot a further 10 out of 15 targets and placed 6th overall.
Reflecting on his performance and experience at the Junior World Championships, Cameron explained, “I am really proud of my performance, particularly in shooting a new personal best at the World Championships and qualifying second into the final. My goal coming into this competition was to make the final, so I’m very proud to have achieved it.”
Commenting on the level of competition at an international event of this standard, Cameron said, “These Championships have been fun to mix with international competitors who are some of the best in the world. The pressure at this competition was the highest I’ve experienced. Representing Australia has also been a fantastic experience, in particular working together and supporting the pistol and rifle teams has been a highlight.”
Cameron emphasised the important role that his family and coaches have played in his preparation and competition. “My family have been extremely supportive, especially my mum. The Australian Junior Team Coaches, Suzy Balogh and Jeff Richardson have also provided great guidance throughout the Junior World Championships.”
Shooting Australia Shotgun Program Manager and Junior World Championships Team Manager, Adam Hosking, reflected on the campaign.
“The Junior World Championships campaign has been fantastic. We spoke early in the campaign about the honour and privilege of representing Australia at this competition, and our athletes embraced that opportunity from the outset. They applied themselves extremely well and showed a genuine commitment to supporting one another throughout the Championships.”
Suzy and Jeff provided coaching support to the Trap Athletes in Suhl, while Carrie Quigley, Petr Kurka and Vladimir Galiabovitch supported the rifle and pistol athletes. Adam acknowledged the five coaches contribution to the team. “The coaching team across all the disciplines provided great leadership and guidance to the athletes.”
With the 2026 Junior World Championships campaign now coming to an end, Adam summarised, “There have been some great results and lessons from this competition for the team which I am sure will bring rewards in the future.”
The Australian team will now commence their journey home, with many athletes turning their attention to upcoming domestic qualification events as they pursue selection for the Senior World Championships.
Full results from the Australian Team can be found on the Shooting Australia website.
Full results from the 2026 ISSF Junior World Championships can be found on the ISSF website.
