Home on the range
The BASC Rifle Club has operated at Bisley for many years, hosting immensely popular range days. Taylor Rikje-Pearson explains more.
Paralympians aiming for medals in Paris
With just days to go until the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, we introduce you to Team GB’s shooting squad.
The Paralympics opening ceremony takes place on Wednesday 28 August, marking the start of another 12 days of international competition at the highest level.Â
Stacked with talent, Team GB are in with a good chance of bringing home shooting medals and our four world-class athletes will be looking to emulate the Olympic successes of Amber Rutter and Nathan Hales.
With help from our friends at British Shooting, we take a closer look at the Team GB Paralympic shooting squad.
Matt Skelhon
R3 – Mixed 10m air rifle prone, SH1
R6 – Mixed 50m rifle prone, SH1
Biography
Matt’s love of shooting began as an 11-year-old boy, shooting his Dad’s air rifle in the back garden. His first taste of competitive shooting was in 2006 after attending the Stoke Mandeville Spinal Games that year.Â
Paris will be Matt’s fifth consecutive Paralympics since making his debut in 2008, where he equalled the world record with a perfect 600 score in qualifying before topping the podium in the 10m air rifle prone SH1.
Matt’s shooting career to date boasts many impressive accolades, including gold at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. He was also a double medallist at London 2012; European and World champion in 2013 and 2014 respectively; and double gold at the 2019 World championships.
Find out more about Matt and his impressive shooting career here.
Ryan Cockbill
R4 – Mixed 10m air rifle standing, SH2
R5 – Mixed 10m air rifle prone, SH2
R6 – Mixed 50m rifle prone, SH1
Biography
Ryan made his Paralympic debut at London 2012, five years after taking up the sport and he will be competing at his fourth consecutive Games in Paris.Â
He originally tried a number of different sports at the Stoke Mandeville Spinal Games, including wheelchair rugby, but found he was drawn to shooting. After taking it up as a hobby at Aldersley Stadium in Wolverhampton, Ryan joined the British shooting team in 2010.
Ryan’s career highlights include a silver medal at the European championships in 2022 and a bronze at the World championships the same year, and qualifying for Paris 2024 by winning gold at the Para Qualifying World Cup in India last year.
Tim Jeffery
R4 – Mixed 10m air rifle standing, SH2
R3 – Mixed 10m air rifle prone, SH1
R9 – Mixed 50m rifle prone SH1
Biography
Tim started shooting in his local Scout group when he was 11 and it was his love of the technical aspect of the sport drove him to pursue it professionally.Â
After competing at the Rio Paralympics in 2016, he joined British Shooting and quickly progressed to the World Class Programme. When he’s not focused on training, Tim is involved in helping to train the next generation of athletes with his work for the development pathway.
Tim’s two biggest career highlights are winning his first gold medal at the World cup in 2015, and scoring personal bests at the Tokyo Games in 2020 en route to making it to all three finals in each of his disciplines.
Issy Bailey
P3 – Mixed 25m pistol, SH1
Biography
Paris 2024 will be Issy’s third consecutive Paralympics, after making her debut in the sport at the Rio Games in 2016.
She began shooting in 2014 during rehabilitation for a spinal cord injury at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. The shooting squad were training in the same place and after a quick session with them, her natural talent and patience for the sport was discovered. Issy was on the national team within a year.Â
As well as competing at the Paralympics, Issy also honed her skills at the World championships in Peru, 2023. Issy is the sole member of the team competing in the pistol events.
Find out more about Issy’s journey here.
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If you are interested in learning more about Paralympic shooting, head to British Shooting’s website.
All images courtesy of British Shooting.
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