OLYMPIC GAMES MIXED TEAMS ANNOUNCED

The Australian Olympic Shooting team today announced the five combinations to contest the newly introduced Mixed Teams events in Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun disciplines at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Australia will field two combinations in both Mixed Trap Teams and 10m Air Rifle Mixed Teams, and a single pairing in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Teams.

The selected combinations are:

Mixed Trap Teams:                   James Willett (NSW) and Laetisha Scanlan (Vic)

Tom Grice (NSW) and Penny Smith (Vic)

10m Rifle Mixed Teams:           Dane Sampson (Qld) and Katarina Kowplos (SA)

Alex Hoberg (SA) and Elise Collier (Vic)

10m Air Pistol Mixed Teams:     Daniel Repacholi (NSW) and Dina Aspandiyarova (Qld)

The Willett-Scanlan and Grice-Smith Mixed Teams pairings are tried and tested combinations with each enjoying World Shotgun Championship gold medal success.

Willett and Scanlan, who attended the 2016 Rio Olympics, won the Mixed Trap Teams at the 2019 World Shotgun Championships with Grice and Smith capturing the bronze medal.

Grice and Smith won the Mixed Trap Teams gold medal at the 2017 World Shotgun Championships.

The 10m Air Rifle Mixed Teams combinations were settled after a two-day “shoot off” during the Shooting team’s Pre-Tokyo camp in Brisbane this week.

Sampson, who will attend his third Olympics in Tokyo, is paired with Kowplos who will make her Olympic debut. Sampson and Kowplos will also shoot in the respective men’s and women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions event, and Sampson will also contest the men’s 10m Air Rifle.

Hoberg, the youngest member of the Australian Olympic Shooting Team, will compete alongside Victoria’s Elise Collier. Both will also contest the respective men’s and women’s 10m Air Rifle events.

Repacholi and Aspandiyarova will be one of the most experienced Mixed Teams in Tokyo with a total of nine Olympic Games between them.

Repacholi will be representing Australia in his fifth Olympics while Aspandiyarova is attending her third Games for Australia after making her Games debut for Kazakhstan at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Shooting Australia High Performance Director, Adam Sachs, said the Mixed Teams combinations feature experienced Olympians and Australia’s next generation of top level athletes.

“The Mixed Teams events is new Olympic ground for all nations, and we are delighted to field five strong combinations,” said Sachs.

“We have seasoned Games campaigners in Dan, Dina, Dane, James and Laetisha, and Olympic debutants in Tom, Penny, Elise, Alex and Katarina,” he added.

The 10m Air Rifle Mixed Teams and 10m Air Pistol Mixed Teams events will both be conducted on Day 4 of the Games, July 27, while the Mixed Trap Teams will be staged on Day 8, July 31.

Shooting Australia