- Features
July 24, 2024

- Features
July 24, 2024

Paris Olympics 2024: gunning for gold

With just days to go until the Olympics in Paris, we introduce you to the six members of Team GB who will be aiming to bring home a medal in the shooting disciplines.

The Paris Olympics opening ceremony is only days away and bound for Paris are 327 Team GB athletes, all set to compete in a huge variety of sports, from rowing to table tennis, and everything in between.

Six members of the team will be gunning for gold in the shooting disciplines; read more about them below.

Meet Team GB's shooting squad

Seonaid McIntosh – rifle

“I began shooting with my school in 2010 as part of the cadet force”, says Seonaid. “But shooting has been in my family since before I was born, both of my parents are international shooters and my older sister is a double Olympian.”

In 2014 Seonaid attended her first Commonwealth Games, where she competed in the 10m Air Rifle event, finishing in 19th place. Following this, she continued to train in earnest, winning her first European Championship medal with a Junior Silver at the 10m European Championship in Arnhem, Netherlands in 2015.

Seonaid is now the UK’s most successful rifle athlete of all time. She holds world and British records, is a former world champion and is currently ranked first on the ISSF’s board of global 50m Rifle 3 Positions women athletes.

Find out more about Seonaid and her shooting achievements here.

Michael Bargeron – rifle

Mike started shooting at his local club in 2008 with his Dad as a ‘father and son’ activity and got tickets to the London 2012 Olympics men’s air rifle final. Later that year he started at the University of Southampton and joined their rifle club. Mike began taking shooting more seriously, and after winning a multiple university medals, decided to have a go at ISSF shooting in 2014.

Mike was selected for the Nordic Junior Championships in Copenhagen and the World Junior Championships in Granada, Spain, in 2014, after his performances in the ESSU and British 50m Championships. He has been on the BSNAP rifle programme since 2017.

Mike made the final of the ISSF Final Olympic Qualification Championship in Rio de Janiero by shooting a new British record of 591 in the men’s 3 Position event and took the Olympics quota place.

Find out more about Mike and his rifle shooting journey here.

Amber Rutter – Olympic Skeet

Amber Rutter, née Hill, is the youngest ever Skeet World Cup gold medallist and current number one in the world. Her selection for Tokyo 2020 made her the most experienced athlete on the shooting team after also representing Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The world number one female Skeet shooter has been a key figure in the clay shooting world ever since she won the BBC’s Young Sport Personality of the Year award in 2013, aged 15.

In 2016 Amber attended her first Olympic Games in Rio, where a sixth place women’s Skeet finish showed her clear potential. By 2020, Amber’s medal collection had propelled her to the top of the ISSF’s world ranking. So, it was hardly surprising when she secured bronze at the 2021 European Championships in Osijek, and the coveted Olympic quota place for Tokyo.

However, the delayed Tokyo games would be harder than anyone could have ever imagined for Amber after testing positive for Covid 19 just a few days before she was due to travel.

One of GB’s most decorated shooters of all time, Amber is heading to her second Olympics just three months after becoming a mum and is out to prove that becoming a successful female athlete doesn’t have to come at a cost.

Find out more about Amber and her decorated shooting career here.

Matt Coward-Holley – Olympic Trap

Matt started his competitive career as a rugby player, before injury kept him off the field and he started taking his shooting more seriously. He began shooting DTL, before realising he wanted to take up an Olympic discipline and challenge the world. Matt switched to Double Trap and achieved great success at international events.

In spite of Matt’s success in the discipline, Double Trap was removed from the Olympic roster in 2018. Still seeking Olympic glory, Matt made the decision to switch over to Olympic Trap shortly before the change went through.

Utilising the skills he had learnt shooting DTL and Double Trap, Matt was an immediate success in his new discipline. He fired into 2019 winning a Silver medal at the ISSF World Cup, Changwon, which came with a quota for Tokyo 2020.

As Covid restrictions came into place, Matt concentrated for his training for Tokyo, which paid off as he went on to claim an Olympic Trap bronze medal at the games.

Find out more about Matt and his shooting journey here.

Nathan Hales – Olympic Trap

Nathan started shooting aged five with his dad. Both sides of his family shoot, so he was brought up around the sport and got involved as soon as he was able to. Nathan joined British Shooting’s Pathway Programme and has been involved at every level, from grassroots right through to the World Class Programme, where he is today.

He secured his Olympic quota place at the 2022 World Championships in Croatia by winning a silver medal in the men’s individual Trap event.

When asked how he is feeling ahead of the games, Nathan said: “I am feeling a mixture of emotions. I’m very excited but nervous, the good kind of nerves though! I also feel very proud to have made it all the way to the games.”

Find out more about Nathan’s journey to the Olympics here.

Lucy Hall – Olympic Trap

Lucy started shooting at 11 years old. Both her dad and grandad shot throughout their lives and she has carried on the family tradition.

Lucy’s Olympic dreams were obvious from an early age. She said: “From almost the beginning I shot DTL competitively, but after about two years, when I was around 13, I started looking for a new challenge. I’d always wanted to win an Olympic Gold and knew that I couldn’t get there with DTL. Don’t get me wrong, DTL taught me a lot and I still really enjoying shooting DTL competitions at the weekend, but in order to pursue my dreams I made the switch to Olympic Trap.”

Lucy is part of British Shooting’s Pathway Programme, starting on the Talent Academy in 2016, then onto the National Academy in 2019 and now, since 2021, on their World Class Programme.

Find out more about Lucy’s career highlights here.

Good luck to the Team GB shooting squad!

Thank you to British Shooting for their help with this article. All images copyright British Shooting.

BASC’s Legacy Sponsorship is available to provide funding which supports and encourages young people keen to pursue competitive clay/target shooting, with a view to representing their country as part of a national team in the future.

Find out more here.