The Road to Rio: Final Check In!

The 2016 Olympic Games takes place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and all eyes are on GB shooters who will be competing this month.

The six athletes competing for Team GB in shooting at the Games are:

Amber Hill: Women’s Skeet 
Elena Allen: Women’s Skeet
Jen McIntosh: Women’s 50m 3 Positions 
Ed Ling: Men’s Trap 
Steve Scott: Men’s Double Trap 
Tim Kneale: Men’s Double Trap 

Four of the six shooters will go to Rio having previous Olympic Games experience, with Tim Kneale and 18-year-old Amber Hill set to make their Olympic debuts. 

Amber, who won gold at the inaugural European Games in June 2015, became the youngest ever Skeet World Cup gold medallist in 2013 and recently took gold – alongside Steve Scott – at the 2015 ISSF World Cup Final in Cyprus. 

Starting young

Back in 2013 Amber said: “The good thing about starting young is that by the time Rio 2016 arrives, I’ll have had five years of training. But I’ve got plenty of time even if I don't make that one to make the next one!"

In the same interview she detailed her hopes of competing in the 2016 Olympics: “That’s the dream.”

Ahead of this year’s test event in Rio, Amber said: “It’s really exciting to be heading out to Rio a few months before the Games because it should be a great opportunity to get used to the environment and to be out there will make it sink in that in a few months I will actually be competing in the Olympic Games." 

“Every time I go to a competition, I always go for gold, but hopefully with this one it will be a great tester. My preparations are going exactly as planned. I’ve felt good in my first couple of competitions of the season and it fills me with confidence for the next few months. I feel really good this year so hopefully it all goes well.”

She will be joined in the Women’s Skeet event by three-time World Championship medallist Elena Allen. In the Men's Double Trap current world record holder Tim Kneale and current Commonwealth champion Steve Scott.

Making history

Tim spoke to Pull! earlier in the year about his hopes for 2016: “I am hoping for a lifetime’s best achievement in 2016. I’m sure everyone who goes to an Olympics doesn’t do so just to make up the numbers, but to add their name to the history books. I am no different. But I have realistic expectations of delivering my skill to the best of my ability. As for potential disappointment, I’m not sure there will be time for any in the carnival atmosphere of Rio!”

Meanwhile, two-time Olympian and world silver medallist Ed Ling will compete in the Men’s Olympic Trap. 

Shooting Team Leader Phil Scanlan said: “I am delighted that the BOA have confirmed our selections for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. We have a great blend of youth and experience, from two-time Olympians to those experiencing their first Games. They are all Olympic quota place winners in their own right and to manage that in the sport of shooting is a major achievement in itself, with most having to win a medal at a major championship to get the quota. We are coming off the back of a very successful two-year qualifying period for British Shooting, with many medals, both individual and team, won in World, European and Commonwealth Championships, so confidence is very high. We have a whole host of talented athletes coming through the GB Academy Programme and we hope that success in Rio will inspire them to go on to become the world leading shooting nation at Tokyo 2020 and beyond.” 

Team strength

Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England said: “It’s fantastic to welcome the shooters to Team GB for Rio 2016 and to see the team growing – with shooting now the third sport to officially select athletes for the Games next summer. Team GB has a proud history in Olympic shooting and it’s great to see this trend continuing with the class of 2016. For each athlete to have secured their quota place with outstanding performances in major competitions is testament to the strength of the team and of the individuals who we’re delighted to be taking to Rio."

Kevin Gill is Head Shotgun Coach with British Shooting and has been working with the GB athletes – we asked him how he prepares competitors for such high pressure events. 

“We make sure that the training has been done to the highest level, and that each competitor is fully confident in their own processes. Some people have been before and some haven’t. It’s very hard to prepare those that haven’t been to an Olympic Games for what it’s like – getting them into the environment, dealing with the press, friends, family and the Olympic Village. It’s a lot to take in: meeting superstars in the Village, major tennis players and people they’ve seen on TV." 

Social media

“One of the biggest things is keeping the media and social media under control. Olympic gold medallist Peter Wilson was an absolute pro at that. He shut himself off from the world for 10 days and stayed completely focused on the job at hand. But some athletes don’t want to do that, so we have to make sure it doesn’t de-rail them.” 

And what are you most looking forward to?

“I love the competition day, the buzz around it, the exhilaration of nerves. I loved it as a competitor and I love it as a coach, it’s a fantastic feeling.”

Check back after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games for all the latest news on how the British shooters did!