2024 Junior International - Pistol

Day 3 : Wednesday 7th August Report

Emilia Faulkner was first on the range on Wednesday for the 30 shot precision part of the 25m Sport Pistol competition.

Upstairs on the 10m range, Penny and Bruce Flett were shooting 40 shots Sporter Air Rifle. The temperature on the range was reasonable at 8am, but it didn’t take long to climb to an uncomfortable level for the shooters.

Downstairs and outside again, Emilia completed the Sport Pistol competition with 30 shots at the turning target – the target is visible for 3 seconds when the shot has to be released, then turns away for 7 seconds, just enough time to re-load and hold the pistol ready to take the next shot.

A series of 5 shots all scoring 10, earns an appreciative and well deserved round of applause from the spectators and fellow competitors.

Emilia’s target showing 3 x Centre 10s plus 2 x inner ring 10s. Perfect score of 50.

Bruce Flett competing in the 25m Rapid Fire with the targets turned away.

The final competition at 25m was the Rapid Fire. Each shooter has a bank of 5 targets in a row in front of them.

They fire one shot at each target in 8 seconds for two series, then two series within 6 seconds and two series within 4 seconds.

Penny and Bruce Flett were our representatives in this competition – another discipline in which they have little opportunity to train, but loads of enthusiasm – and they acquitted themselves very well.

Meanwhile, on the 10m range, Finlay Moffat, Gemma Patullo and Isobel Mactaggart were competing in the 60 shot Grand Prix.

We were congratulating them all on their shooting, when we found out that Emilia Faulkner and Finlay Moffat were through to the bronze medal match in the mixed pairs competition.

Right : Emilia Faulker and Finlay Moffat prepared for the Bronze medal match with their coach, Kirsty Boardman, sitting in the foreground.

No rest for them! Shooting in the finals hall at the far end of the 10m range against two shooters from Wales, each team member fires a shot and the higher team total gains 2 points.

This continues until one team reaches 16 points.

This medal match was tightly contested – Emilia in her last year attending a JI and Finlay in his first, and many points were only just won by Wales – but unfortunately for us, too many, and they took the bronze.