Matt Coward-Holley and Kirsty Hegarty won gold in the Mixed Trap Pairs event at the ISSF Lonato World Cup. Both shooters will be representing Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics in July.
The duo qualified in top place for the final, with a combined score of 145 ex 150. Matt, from Chelmsford, shot a phenomenal 75 straight in qualification and Kirsty, from Belfast, scored 70 ex 75.
In the final they shot 39 ex 50, beating beat San Marino (34 ex 50) to secure top place on the podium.
Difficult light conditions played a part in the final scores, with both GB and San Marino missing more targets than they would expect to, but it was the British pair who managed to clinch it.
Speaking after the final, Matt said: “It was an interesting and difficult final. Bad light had an impact on the scores, but overall we’re very happy. This has been the icing on the cake for the trip. Everyone has shot really well and it’s a fantastic end.”
Kirsty added: “Today’s been great, the final was really hard but to come away with the medal is fantastic. We now just have a couple more internationals in the Green Cup and the European Championships as we build towards the Olympics.”
You can watch the drama play out on the ISSF channel on YouTube.
Read more on the British Shooting website.
