Paris 2024: Nathan Hales wins gripping trap shooting duel to deliver Team GB's third gold of Olympic Games
Updated 30/07/2024 at 16:26 GMT+1
There was more success for Team GB on Tuesday as Nathan Hales struck gold in the men's trap shooting at Chateauroux. Hales, 28, had earlier qualified for the final with an impressive score of 123, and continued his brilliant form in the Paris heat to finish on top of the podium ahead of China's Qi Ying, with whom he had an intense duel. Hales' score of 48 out of 50 shots was an Olympic record.
‘Amazing performance’ - China win first gold of Paris 2024
Video credit: TNT Sports
Nathan Hales won the gold medal in the men’s trap final.
In an engaging contest at Chateauroux Shooting Centre, 270km south of Paris in central France, the 28-year-old held his nerve in hot conditions to claim Team GB’s first gold medal in the shooting and third of Paris 2024.
The Kent-based sports shooter led for most of the final, going toe-to-toe with top qualifier China’s Qi Ying throughout, while the rest of the field was slowly picked off - the athlete with the lowest score after each five clays was eliminated.
The pressure was intense, but Hales used all of his experience to carry on hitting the target while those around him faltered.
After the competition had been whittled down to the final three, the Brit surged ahead, shooting with 100 percent accuracy while Ying and Guatemala's Jean Pierre Brol Cardenas missed one each to tie on 35 - the Chinese shooter only going through because of his superior position in qualifying.
Silver medal secured, Hales entered the final shoot-out - a 10 clay round - three shots up on Ying, meaning he just needed to hit seven to claim his first Olympic title.
When Ying missed his fourth clay, it was clear that it would require an almighty upset to prevent Hales from claiming Britain’s first shooting gold medal since Peter Wilson in the Double trap at London 2012.
Two clays later, the win was in the bag. But Hales wasn’t finished yet.
While he wouldn’t be able to equal his world-record performance from the Lonato leg of the 2023 ISSF World Cup series, he now had the Olympic record and was keen on extending it as far as he could.
Reaching 48 clays out of a possible 50, the Brit showed his dominance and his cool head, despite this being his first-ever Olympic Games.
The shooting continues on Wednesday with Michael Brageron part of qualifying for the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions, while Seonaid McIntosh begins her tilt at a medal in the women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions on Thursday, August 1.
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