Jasper Fellows looks back on a truly historic year
If there’s one thing we can say about 2020, it’s that it didn’t exactly go to plan. The ramifications of Covid-19 have been beyond comparison. We’ve all been affected in our personal and business lives. From the International Olympic Committee to the CPSA, the BBC to us here at Clay Shooting, we’ve all had to evolve and evolve quickly in what has been a truly historic year.
The year started fantastically. In January, British OT and OS shooters showed just how dominant they would be in Tokyo at the International Grand Prix at Club de Tiro, Spain. In the Olympic Skeet events, Amber Hill found herself in first during qualification, then went on to take the Ladies gold. Emily Hibbs joined Amber on the podium with silver. The Men shot similarly well, with Mike Gilligan taking the Men’s silver and Ben Llewellin bringing home bronze.
While the adults certainly brought plenty of medals home, it was the British Juniors who showed their potential at the OS events. Madeleine Boyd grabbed the Junior Ladies bronze and Sophie Herrmann bagged silver. Not to be out done, the Junior Men totally cleared shop, with Oliver Harrison, David Mcneill, Arran Eccleston and Denzil Grose taking gold, silver, bronze and fourth respectively.
The OT events went similarly well, with six Brits climbing the podium to claim all of the silverware in the mixed team event. In the individual events Georgina Roberts picked up a Ladies gold, while Michael Bovingdon scored a Junior Men’s gold. Maddie Purser, Charlotte Hollands, Matthew Coward-Holley and veteran Phil Sanders all claimed OT bronze medals for their trouble, rounding off an extremely successful event and showing the world just what they had coming for them in Tokyo.
Shortly after the Grand Prix, The CPSA got to work counting up the votes for its annual awards ceremony. Amy Easeman took the coveted CPSA Clay Shooter of the Year award, an incredible achievement for a shooter not long passed her 18th birthday. Ami Hedgecock became the one to watch as she was named Emerging Shooter of the Year, with Alfie Tibbles claiming the Young Shot of the Year prize.
On 9 February the Cyprus Grand Prix began, the entire event once again being dominated by Brits with Oliver Harrison, Augusta Campos-Martyn and Steve Scott all picking up medals. At the Qatar Open, Amber Hill, Ben Llewellin, Arran Eccleston and Madelei
