Shooting Australia officially launched its 2024 Olympic and Paralympic campaigns during a Paris Nous Voila – “Paris Ready” camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra across the 1st and 2nd of December.
The camp, with the theme of Thrive THROUGH 2024, was attended by the long list of athletes across both Olympic and Paralympic shooting disciplines, where they each had the opportunity to learn more about the process of qualification for, and success during, the 2024 Games, as well the preparation required and the athlete support being established.
The athletes were very fortunate to receive information and preparatory advice from key personnel from the AIS and Victorian Institute of Sport as well as engage with Anna Meares OAM OLY, Chef de Mission for the 2024 Australian Olympic Team, and Ben Troy, Deputy Chef de Mission for the Paralympic Team.
Reflecting on the Paris Ready camp, Shooting Australia High Performance Manager Kathryn Periac said, “The weekend was one step in the long journey ahead. The key message was around how we can best facilitate the athletes to thrive through 2024 and that the athletes are the primary focus. We want the athletes to continue through the year and have a really positive experience in the sport, no matter the outcome. The next step will be the domestic competition component of the Olympic nomination process which commences in January.”
Meares, a 4-time Olympian with 6 medals to her name, and Team Leader for next years’ Games said her role as Chef is multifaceted. “My job is very much to build relationships with athletes and sports so that when we’re on the ground in Paris we can work together to help you have the best performance and experience as possible.”
Speaking to the pressure of the Olympics and the emphasis on being successful including achieving a personal best or making the Team, Meares said, “I know what pressure feels like. Our best achievement as an [Australian] Team is 17 gold medals. We are going to take up to 480 athletes next year so that’s why the message for me around success is so important because I am not going to have 463 athletes feel like they have not been successful. Meares went onto say that athletes “have the opportunity to be a positive role model and a showcase for your families, your communities and your sport.”
Rio Olympic gold medallist (Women’s Trap) Catherine Skinner who is about to launch into her 5th attempt to make an Olympic Team says, “The weekend was a great start to the 2024 Olympic campaign. The appearance of Anna Meares to give a briefing on what to be expected at Games time and what the village for Shooting will look like, being in the subsite of Chateauroux about 270 south of Paris, has really brought the Olympic dream closer to becoming reality.”
Of the information that was shared during the camp, Skinner said, “These events are great for educating the athletes on the resources and techniques available to us to adopt for the future challenge of selections. Many of us will not be successful for the 2024 Games; this will be my fifth attempt to make the Australian Olympic Team and so far I have only been successful to make one team in 2016. However, it is all a learning experience for future campaigns as we are fortunate as a sport that it is rarely ‘one and done”.
Speaking to the athletes during the camp and vying for selection to his sixth Olympic team, Cessnock local and Federal Member for Hunter Dan Repacholi said, “I love competing and I love having the opportunity to win. I genuinely believe I can medal at an Olympic Games but I just haven’t been able to do that yet and that’s why I keep coming back. There’s nothing better than representing your country and wearing the green and gold.”
Touching on the small group of Shooting athletes who will be selected to represent Australia in 2024, Repacholi said, “Unfortunately not everybody will make the team that was here [this weekend]…and you need to be prepared for it. Success is different for everybody and Anna Meares said that very well and great to have her as the Chef de Mission.”
The domestic component of the Shooting Olympic nomination process will run from January to March, with the first events to be held in Brisbane from 12th of January.
All media and event enquiries to Jane Vella 0407 859 197 or jane@shootingaustralia.org
