Day 8 of the Shooting Competition coming up today from the National Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, France…
WOMEN’S SKEET (SHOTGUN) QUALIFICATION DAY 1
AUSTRALIAN ATHLETE COMPETING:
AISLIN JONES
Competitors will shoot 75 targets across three rounds of 25. The remaining 50 targets (for a total out of 125) will be shot on the second day of qualification on Sunday. The Women’s Skeet Final will be held following qualification, for the top 6 qualifiers.
SEE THE WOMEN’S START LIST AND FOLLOW RESULTS
MEN’S SKEET (SHOTGUN) QUALIFICATION DAY 2 + FINALS
AUSTRALIAN ATHLETE COMPETING:
JOSHUA BELL
Competition commences at 9:00am Local (CEST) / 5:00PM AEST!
Competitors will shoot the remaining 50 targets across two rounds of 25. The Final will be held following today’s qualification, for the top 6 qualifiers, from 3:30pm Local (CEST) / 11:30PM, AEST.
SEE THE MEN’S START LIST AND FOLLOW RESULTS
With conditions finally cooler for day 7 of competition at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, Olympic debutante Joshua Bell stepped out onto the shotgun range for his first day of Men’s Skeet qualification.
Coming into the Games with a recent World Cup Mixed Teams bronze medal under his belt, Bell was prepared to compete against 29 of the worlds best! In front of energised grandstand that included Bell’s parents, he opened the day breaking 24 of the 25 flying orange targets. Bell then went on to shoot two rounds of 23, closing the day with a total score of 70 out of 75.
Speaking to the day’s conditions, Bell said, “I found today really good. The conditions were overcast in the morning and the sun came out in the afternoon.”
Shooting behind Olympic qualification record holder Eric Delaunay, Bell said, “I couldn’t have asked for better atmosphere. Following the local Frenchman has been great, a little bit of a distraction, but good to reset and then go for it. To be amongst it is absolutely unreal and I couldn’t ask for a better debut.”
With 50 targets remaining going into day two of qualification, Bell said, “Going into tomorrow I will just look to rinse and repeat the same process and take it all in and do my best.”
Bell is currently sitting in 18th place, with the top 6 Men progressing through to the final, at the conclusion of tomorrows qualification. America currently occupies the top of the leaderboard, with triple Olympic gold medallist Vincent Hancock the only one to shoot a perfect score today.
Over on the pistol range today, Victoria’s Elena Galiabovitch concluded her Paris Olympic campaign, competing in the 25m Pistol Women’s event. Elena opened strong with a score of 99 out of 100 in her first precision series. She followed with two series of 93, finishing the precision stage in the middle of the field.
After a short break, Galiabovitch returned to complete the rapid-fire stage, opening with a 93 that was followed by a welcomed series of 99. She finished with a 94 series, and a total qualification score of 569, placing 35th overall.
Of her third Olympic campaign, Galiabovitch reflects, “That was a disappointing end to my Olympic campaign, but the journey is 100% worth it. I am now ready to cheer on everyone who is still competing.”
Hungary’s Veronika Major was the top 25m Pistol Women’s qualifier, equalling the Olympic Qualification Record with a score of 592. The score required to secure a place in the final of 8, was 585.
Heading into Day 8, Joshua Bell will continue Men’s Skeet Qualification, while the youngest member of the Australian Shooting Team, Aislin Jones, will commence day one of Women’s Skeet Qualification. Sergei Evglevski will complete his final training session ahead of his 25m Pistol Rapid Fire competition on Sunday.
