Local Olympian James Willett competes in the Trap men's final at the Paris Olympics in Chateauroux last Tuesday, July 30. AP Photo.
Photo by
Manish Swarup
Local Olympian shooter James Willett can hold his head high after making the Men’s Trap final field of six competitors at the Paris Olympics last Tuesday.
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His sixth place in the final at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre was Australia’s best finish in the event in over a decade since Michael Diamond finished fourth in London.
In a cutthroat first round of the final, Willett misfired early putting great pressure on himself to avoid being eliminated.
The 28-year-old scored 19 out of 25 in stage one of the six-man final, with his score not high enough to progress to stage two.
His sixth-place finish would have been a disappointment in his third Olympic bid to win a medal after he had qualified in brilliant fashion in the morning, missing just two of his 125 targets altogether to rank him the third-best in the field.
James Willett (centre) with the Australian Olympic shooting team.
But, Willett said he was happy with his performance, despite challenges with the weather, as he shifts his focus to the next steps in his career.
“It’s been a great couple of years,” he said.
“I was happy with how I adapted; I think I’ve done everyone proud and had great support back home too.
“I’m really looking forward to what’s ahead now.”
The 15-time World Cup medallist, nicknamed the "Green Machine," faulted in a star-studded final, missing two of his first five targets, immediately leaving him in last place and eventually missing six of his 25 shots. None of the other five had missed more than three at that point.
Britain's world record holder Nathan Hales went on to take the title, missing just two of his 50 clays in the final, with China's Qi Ying (44) taking silver and Guatemala's Jean Pierre Brol Cardenas (35) bronze.
The other Australian representative, Mitchell Iles, missed out on qualifying for the final by just one clay, ending up ninth overall.
Like he did in Rio De Janeiro in 2016, where he finished fifth, and Tokyo in 2021, where he finished 10th, just two targets from missing the final, Willett certainly did Australia proud in Paris and no doubt will be shooting to be a strong contender at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
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