Shooting preview: Champion shooters have plenty of ammunition ahead of Paralympic campaign

Australia’s champion rifle shooter Anton Zappelli and Pistol shooter Chris Pitt will return for their second Paralympic Games while rifle shooter Natalie Smith will line up for her third Games when competition kicks off tomorrow at Asaka Shooting Range. 

 

Number three in the world, Zappelli, 49, is Australia’s highest shooter and will contest the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone on Wednesday with Smith before contesting the R6 Mixed 50m Rifle Prone on Sunday. 

 

Smith, 46, who will be the first Aussie donning the green in gold for Para-Shooting will contest the R2 Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing while Pitt, 56, will make his first appearance in the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol followed by the P3 Mixed 25m Pistol on Tuesday. 

 

Smith, is hoping for a precision-like performance to add to the bronze she captured at the London 2012 Games. 

 

“We have spent this whole year wondering if we would get to Tokyo, it’s been a game of wait and see,” said Smith. 

 

 

Smith, like her team-mates, has not competed internationally for two years, with domestic competition also proving a challenge due to ongoing broader closures. 

 

“Not being able to compete internationally has been quite hard because you use those competitions to gauge where you’re at competitively,” said Smith.

 

Zappelli is on the hunt for his first Paralympic medal after placing second in the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone at the 2019 World Championships in Sydney in 2019.

 

“I have been preparing for these Games since finishing up in Rio. Things were looking good after the World Championships and then Covid put a spanner in the works,” said Zappelli.

 

Travel restrictions meant Zappelli had to adopt a very different approach to his preparations for Tokyo. 

 

“Following the World Championships I was looking forward to coming into Tokyo at the top of my game, however most of my competitions are outside of WA, so I haven’t had much of an opportunity to compete leading up to Tokyo, said Zappelli. 

 

“A lot of the top 10 athletes I am competing against have still been having access to some sort of competition.”

 

“It will be interesting to see how I go, but I know I have a chance at making a final and then anything is possible, I am looking forward to getting out there.”

 

Pitt has had a challenging lead up to Tokyo, in October he was diagnosed with cancer and had to have half his tongue removed. The resilient Pitt wasn’t going to let that stop him making it to the Games. 

 

After being told he wouldn’t be able to travel by his medical team, Pitt was more determined than ever to shoot his way to his second Paralympics. 

 

“They said to me, you won’t be able to drive, you’ll be too fatigued, you won’t be able to eat we’ll have to feed you through a tube,” said Pitt. 

 

“I wouldn’t have it and just told them to hurry up with my treatment because I had to get to Tokyo.” 

 

Pitt endured 30 rounds of radiation for six weeks following a 14-hour surgery where a piece of his leg was grafted onto his tongue. 

 

“I sailed through radiation much better than other people, as I had the goal of Tokyo on my mind,” said Pitt. 

 

The preparation leading up to Tokyo was not what Pitt had planned. 

 

“My preparation unfortunately hasn’t been the best, between COVID and cancer, I have been put back around six months, I have only been able to do decent training from around May,” said Pitt. 

 

Pitt who narrowly missed out on a bronze medal following a shoot off in the P3 Mixed 25m Pistol final at the 2016 Rio Games says he has no expectations in Tokyo. 

 

“Expectations are the mother of disappointment, I just hope to shoot well, keep my nerves under control and hopefully make the final,” said Pitt. 

 

 

The Australian Para-Shooters will be in action from 30 August – 5 September:

 

08:30 (09:30 AEST) Monday 30 August – Natalie Smith, R2 10m Rifle Standing, Class SH1

 

12:00 (13:00 ASET) Tuesday 31 August – Chris Pitt, P1 10m Air Pistol, Class SH1

 

09:30 (10:30 AEST) Wednesday 1 September – Natalie Smith and Anton Zappelli, R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone, Class SH1

 

0845 (09:45 AEST) Thursday 2 September – Chris Pitt, P3 Mixed 25m Pistol, Class SH1

 

09:30 (10:30 AEST) Sunday 5 September – Anton Zappelli, R6 Mixed 50m Rifle Prone, Class SH1 

 

By: Amanda Scott, Paralympics Australia

Posted: 30 August 2021