Following Laetisha Scanlan’s bronze medal win in the Trap Women individual shotgun event on Monday at the ISSF World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Australian Women’s Trap Team won the silver medal on Tuesday, before the Trap Mixed Team went on to win the gold medal on Wednesday. This was an outstanding achievement for the Australian shotgun athletes with three medals in three consecutive days.
The team of Catherine Skinner, Laetisha Scanlan, and Charlie Hudson-Czerniecki scored a combined total of 204/225 in qualification in the Womens Team event to secure their place in the gold medal match where they would meet team USA.
In the gold medal match the teams were tied at 5-5 meaning they entered a sudden death shoot off where the Australian’s won the silver medal.
The trio all competed in the event the day prior where Hudson-Czerniecki made her senior World Cup debut and said “it was crazy, I’m glad to be doing it beside these two girls (Laetisha and Catherine), they’re two of the best so it’s great to be up there with them.”
Skinner added “I think qualification went fantastically, we all worked really well together and shot enough targets to get through”, with Scanlan saying “it’s always a competitive match against the USA teams so unfortunately they got the gold this time, but I think next time we’ll definitely give them a run for their money.”
Shooting Australia CEO Adam Sachs when asked about the silver medal said, “Australia’s female Trap athletes have a proud history of international success and continue to show the rest of the world that they are a force to be reckoned with.”
The following day (1st June), Australia’s Trap Mixed Team of James Willett and Laetisha Scanlan claimed the gold medal for Australia.
In qualification the pair shot a combined scored of 142 where they were equal top qualifiers with Portugal and resulted in both teams progressing through to the gold medal match.
With two medals already to her name in Baku, Scanlan continued her fine form for the Trap Mixed Team gold medal match. The Australian’s put on a dominant display scoring 6 points to Portugal’s 2 to claim the gold medal for Australia.
Willett when talking about the final said “Teash carried me through a little bit and we came through with the gold medal”, with Scanlan adding “Willett and I did enough to get us across the line and get us the gold which was a really really nice result at the end of a very long trip.”
Shooting Australia CEO Adam Sachs added “James and Laetisha are a team that’s been tried and tested at the highest levels of international competition. Their gold medal in the Trap Mixed Team event at this week’s World Cup Baku highlights the strength of both their individual performances and their performance as a team. We are very proud of James and Laetisha’s Gold medal performance, which was one of four podium performances (so far) for our Australian Team in Baku.”
Scanlan, leaving Baku with three medals out of the three events she competed in, displayed her world class level against some elite competition. The Australian Shotgun Team proved the 7-week international tour fruitful, adding to their 3 bronze, 2 silver, and 3 gold medals already earned from previous international competitions this year, with a bronze, silver, and gold medal at this World Cup in Baku.
