Four defending champions, a gold medal winner and a host of debutants will be among the 28 athletes to take to the shooting range at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The Australian team features a new generation of potential shooting stars, with seven members of the team under the age of 20 — including Tori Rossiter, 15.
They’ll have plenty of assistance, with Commonwealth Games veterans such as Bruce Quick and David Chapman by their sides.
Australian Team Chef de Misson Steve Moneghetti congratulated the athletes included in the team.
“We are announcing more and more athletes onto the Australian Team every day and it really is exciting for them,” Moneghetti said.
“We have some great young athletes in the Shooting Team and I welcome them with open arms.”
Pistol shooter and 2014 Glasgow gold medallist David Chapman has been named for his fourth Commonwealth Games and second on home soil following Melbourne 2006.
“It’s always great to have a mix of young and old on a team because it gives the youngsters a chance to get mentored by the experienced athletes,” said Chapman.
“I’m pretty confident of the sport’s future in Australia with the talent of these athletes here today.”
Daniel Repacholi, Bruce Quick, Elena Galiabovitch, Lalita Yauhleuskaya, Sergei Evglevski, and Kerry Bell combine with Chapman to make up the pistol representatives.
“I’m obviously aiming to get on the podium,” Chapman confirmed. “I certainly think I have what it takes to win and if all goes well I could walk away with a medal like I did in Glasgow.”
Two of Australia’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games shooting gold medals came from the shotgun discipline and there is plenty of depth amongst the Australian shotgun ranks.
Inaugural ISSF Trap Mixed Team Gold Medallist Thomas Grice joins fellow Commonwealth Games debutants Mitchel Iles, James Willett, James Bolding, and Aislin Jones, with Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Gold medallists Laetisha Scanlan and Laura Coles, Olympic Gold medallist Catherine Skinner, and seasoned Commonwealth Games shooters Emma Cox, Gaye Shale, and Paul Adams.
We are looking for amazing things from the two rookie Fullbore shooters Jim Bailey and Ben Emms, who have big boots to fill. Bruce Scott won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in the open fullbore at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.
Rifle shooters Dane Sampson, Will Godward, Robyn Ridley, and Suzy Smith return to the Commonwealth Games and are joined by newcomers Emma Adams, James Daly, Alex Hoberg and Tori Rossiter.
There are around 190,000 tickets still available to 13 sports across the GC2018 competition schedule, including tickets to catch the world class shooting competition.
Tickets have been increasingly popular to shooting and limited tickets remain for three of the seven sessions across Sunday, 8 April to Saturday 14 April. Don’t miss out – visit gc2018.com for all ticketing updates.
