James Bevis took Gold in the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in Croatia with a dominant performance in R9 (50m Rifle Prone Mixed SH2). The event has recently been added to the Paralympic Programme and Croatia is the first competition where it has been contested since the announcement.
Bevis topped qualification with 620.8, over four points clear of his closest rival. He continued to set the pace in the final taking Gold over France’s Alain Quittet and Serbia’s Dragan Ristic.
British Shooting Paralympic Programme Performance Director Pasan Kularatne said “We are pleased that R9 has been added to the Paralympic Programme for Tokyo to provide more opportunity for SH2 shooters. This is James Bevis’s first international competition of the year and I am very pleased that his hard work, suppotrted by the staff team, has earned him Gold in R9 with a finals World Record.”
Earlier in the competition Bevis had made the R4 (10m Air Rifle Standing Mixed SH2) final, qualifying in fourth place in his least preferred event and finishing fifth in the final. Ryan Cockbill finished 20th after a mistake in the third string cost him a shot.
Matt Skelhon qualified top in R3 (10m Air Rifle Prone Mixed SH1) but could not maintain his form in the final, finishing sixth. Lorraine Lambert was in 18th with ex-serviceman Vinod Budhathoki making his international debut in 24th place. Lambert also finished 8th in R2 (10m Air Rifle Standing Women SH1)
In the pistol events Stewart Nangle qualified top in P1 (10m Air Pistol Men SH1) with a score of 572 but did not finish in the medals, ending up in fifth place. Issy Bailey was also a finalist in P2 (10m Air Pistol, both qualifying and finishing in fifth. Nangle and Bailey will shoot on the final day of competition in P4 (50m Pistol Mixed SH1) while Skelhon and Lambert go again in R6 (50m Rifle Prone Mixed SH1). Bevis will be on the look out for another medal as he and Cockbill finish up with R5 (10m Air Rifle Prone Mixed SH2)