Huckle sets sights on Australian Youth Olympic Festival
3rd December 2008Team England marksman James Huckle has his sights set on reaching the 10m air rifle final at next month’s Australian Youth Olympic Festival.
The 18-year-old was one of the stars of the show at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India winning three gold medals for England.
He is one of three Team England shooters who competed in Pune who have now been chosen to represent Great Britain at the festival. Sheree Cox and Victoria Mullin will also represent Team GB in Sydney.
James will contest the 10m air rifle event in Sydney – one of the three competitions in which he won gold in Pune.
And with marksmen from the USA and China also in action in Sydney, he expects the competition to be fierce.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” said James. “Making the final is my goal. It’s going to be a tough challenge to win a medal, you probably won’t get a much higher standard at a world championships.”
James, who would like to represent Team England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympic Games, said competing in Pune was an invaluable experience.
“I enjoyed India,” he said. “I enjoy shooting events, but competing at a multi-sports event was a completely difference experience. I got to meet lots of people from other sports and see how they train. It was a really good insight.
“I knew winning a medal in each event in Pune was possible, but getting three golds was amazing, I wasn’t expecting that.”
James, from Essex, struck gold in the 10m air rifle, the 50m rifle three-positions and the 50m rifle prone in Pune in October.
His performances helped Team England to finish third in the overall medal table at the Commonwealth Youth Games.
Sheree Cox, who won gold for England in the 50m rifle three-positions rifle and a bronze in the 50m rifle prone, also features in the GB team for the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, as does Victoria Mullin, who came seventh in the 10m air pistol in Pune.
The Australian Youth Olympic Festival runs from 14th to 18th January and will feature 1600 athletes from 25 nations in 17 sports.