Great Britain Wins 5 of 7 Golds at International Shooting Competition

Host nation Great Britain captured gold in five out of seven events at its own International Shooting Competition over the last three days at Stoke Mandeville Stadium.

A total of 75 athletes from 15 countries took part in the competition, with New Zealand and Hungary picking up the remaining two gold medals.

Great Britain’s James Bevis (705.7) won the Air Rifle Prone R5 Mixed SH2 event, with Australia’s Luke Cain (704.9) finishing second and New Zealand’s Michael Johnson (704.5) taking third.

Bevis’ teammate, Nathan Milgate, shot a 597 out of 600 in the qualifying round of the SH1 men’s Air Rifle Standing R1 competition and then went on to win the gold medal in the finals.

“I was helped by the fact that the team came straight from the ParalympicsGB simulation camp in Bath to this competition, which is the way it will be prior to the Paralympic Games next year,” Milgate told ParalympicsGB. “It was great to get a record-breaking score, and hopefully this will send out a message to the world that Britain is a force to be reckoned with.”

Great Britain’s Matt Skelhon won the R3 Air Rifle Prone Mixed SH1 event and Pamela Grainger won the Air Pistol event. Deanna Coates, who is on course for her eighth Paralympic Games next summer, won gold in the Standing Air Rifle SH1. Her rival, Elizabeth Kosmala of Australia who is on pace for her 12th Paralympic Games, took silver behind Coates.

Gyula Gurisatti (657.8) captured Hungary’s first-place finish, winning gold in the Air Pistol P1 men’s SH1 final. Michael Johnson struck gold for New Zealand (705.7) in the R4 Air Rifle Prone Mixed SH1 event.