Australia’s Trap Mixed Team shooters James Willet and Catherine Skinner set a new world record when they won gold in the ISSF World Cup this month, scoring 37 out of 40 to top a dominant performance throughout the competition.
The World Cup stage, held in Lonato, Italy, was the biggest of the season so far, with more than 600 competitors representing 80 nations, and it was considered one of the most competitive.
Willet blazed through the qualifying shoot with a perfect 75 from 75, with the duo totalling 146 from 150, and in the final Skinner ran a flawless 20 from 20 as the pair chalked their record score of 37.
Australia’s other team in the event, made up of Penny Smith and Gabe Sensi, had scored 143 out of 150 in the qualifying round but the competition was so fierce that this was two shots short of making the final.
Men’s Trap shooter Charlton Vella also starred, shooting a personal best of 122 out of 125 in qualifying for his event but that was still agonisingly short of earning him his first place a finals shootout.
“A personal best is something I’m very proud of, especially to have achieved it at my first open World Cup,” Vella said. “These fields are among the strongest in the sport, with Olympic champions and so many world-class shooters competing.
“There is noticeably more pressure at an event like this one, but making sure I stuck to my routine and focussed on one target at a time helped.
“Off the layouts, the team and how well we all got along also helped, as did the grounding I received from my wife back home.”
Australia fielded a large team in Lonato. Along with Vella, Milad Nasr, Gabe Sensi and James Willett competed in the Men’s Trap competition; Kiara Dean, Laetisha Scanlan, Catherine Skinner and Penny Smith shot in Women’s Trap.
In Men’s Skeet we had Matthew Everingham and Luke Argiro, the latter competing internationally for the first time in six years.
“The competition has progressed a lot,” Argiro said. “The level feels like it is constantly getting higher and performances need to be flawless to be competitive.”
The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) has been working on expanding coverage and exposure for World Cup events, particularly by adding new segments to event broadcasting on its YouTube channel.
Ivan Carella, representing the host venue, Trap Concaverde, made a touching summary of the importance of high-level coverage of shooting events.
“Dynamic videos, powerful images, engaging content and real-time storytelling created a unique experience, showcasing not only the athletes’ performances but also the passion, emotions and values that make our sport so special.
“If we want shooting sport to keep growing, we need the courage to speak the language of the younger generations. We need to be present where young people spend their time, get their information and build their passions. We need to tell the stories of our champions in a way that is authentic, exciting and accessible.
“Because young athletes do not fall in love with a sport simply because of the rules or the results. They fall in love with a dream, an emotion and someone they can look up to.
“Our champions must become the heroes and heroines who inspire the next generation. That is how we create a lasting legacy. That is how we build a sense of belonging. That is how we secure the future of our sport.”
You can watch Willet and Skinner’s record performance in the video above, and see plenty more on the ISSF YouTube channel, including live broadcasts when future competitions are run.
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