For current students Tegan and Dayzie, the event marked their debut in competitive shooting. Joined by alumni Harvey and Humna, the four athletes competed in both the Standing Supported category and the Benchrest category. Notably, none of the athletes had previously competed in the Benchrest discipline.
The competition was conducted under strict Paralympic standards. Rather than traditional paper targets, all shots were registered electronically via advanced sensors, with scores calculated to decimal places up to a maximum of 10.9 per shot. The Benchrest event presented an extra challenge, utilising a completely new and smaller rifle target format that the team had never previously practiced on.
Competitors were required to complete 60 shots within strict time constraints: 60 minutes for Benchrest and 75 minutes for Standing Supported.
The team delivered brilliant results across both categories:
Standing Supported Event:
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Harvey: Gold Medal (Score: 611.5)
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Tegan: Silver Medal (Score: 592.7)
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Humna: Bronze Medal (Score: 575.5)
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Dayzie: Score of 511.2 (Averaging 85.2 per 10-shot series)
Benchrest Event:
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Humna: Gold Medal (Score: 606.4)
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Harvey: Silver Medal (Score: 590.9)
Although acoustic shooting is not currently included in the Paralympic Games, events such as the British Open Para Sport Championships showcase the exceptional skill, focus, and international-standard performance of V.I. athletes.
The tally of two Gold, two Silver, and one Bronze medal highlighted the high calibre of performance achieved under demanding, elite competition conditions.
Huge congratulations to Coach Jim and the team.