Shooters top the table

Saturday 15 July 2023

Guernsey's 28 shooters won more medals than any other sport's team over the course of six days of competition at the 2023 NatWest International Island Games.

The first shooting medals - and Guernsey's first medals of the Games - were won on Sunday when Andrew Torode scored a total of 295 in the NPA Police Pistol 1 competition to claim the gold.

Torode and James Staughan also won the team gold.

This started a run of 33 medals in total for the shooters - 16 gold, 9 silver and 8 bronze.

In total Torode ended the week with five golds and a bronze medal. Straughan with two golds and two bronze.

Among the women, Tara Leighton-Dyson also won five gold and one bronze, while Nikki Trebert has three gold and a bronze.

Pictured: Andrew Torode picking up one of his many medals.

Andrea Guillou won a silver and a bronze medal. The silver was shared with Amy Woodman in the team ISSF 10m Air Rifle, and her individual bronze was for the same event.

Guillou said her Island Games week got off to "an interesting start" and she was somewhat disappointed not to win gold. 

"We managed to get a team bronze with Amy Woodland, so we were very happy about that. Obviously, we were competing against our team, actually against my husband and Amy's boyfriend. They got gold so well done to them. I'm happy for them and for us.

"Then I was shooting on Wednesday and my qualification was good. I was at the top, and then the final is just a little bit of a different story. I was trying you know. I went in but there was a few bad shots."

Guillou's husband, Paul said he also felt the pressure during Games week, but he managed to zone in and win some medals for himself and his team.

Pictured: Luke Malcic won two golds at the 2023 Island Games.

In total he won one gold, three silver and one bronze. His team mate Luke Malcic won two golds. 

"When you actually competing the pressure is not something that you can recreate in practise as much as you try in your mind," said Guillou. "When it comes down to the actual competition, it's a different matter altogether. The qualification round with my air rifle, I found myself strangely in the zone.

"It's an area where you want to be in. You'd never know how to get there, but on some occasions it it does get there, and it almost felt like I couldn't miss. I was shooting a series of 100 and 99s so I finished on my personal best score by five points, which is quite a big margin, and I was fully confident going into the final but that was a different story.

"The gun just would not hold as steady as possible. You asked Andrea if she was disappointed with getting the silver. I'm sure she will reconcile herself to the fact that she's happy with it. But exactly like her, we know that we should have won the gold.

"I should have won the gold and I didn't do it. Good credit to Luke, who won the gold because he didn't falter. I did on two shots and that's what cost me a medal. But I'm happy with the silver."

Pictured: Paul Guillou in action at the Azteca area this week. (ROB CURRIE)

Guillou said all of the extended shooting team worked hard over many months to prepare for the Games and all deserve their medals. 

"When you see how much commitment people have put into the sport and the money they personally invested by going away to shooting competitions and buying the 22 rounds down at a club as well. People put in the work, so they deserve the reward," he said.

Jack Hanca won a gold and silver team medal alongside Guillou and said he puts in many hours to benefit the wider shooting team.

"We always try to support each other, even if we are losing a little bit," Hank said. "We always support our teammates and it is team work I would say, because all the teams support each other, and especially in the team events.

"In the perfect world, we were supposed to spend 15, 16 hours per week, even 20 hours, like a part-time job. Some people like Paul, it's a full time job on the side of his normal life. And the money is another big story."

All the shooters Express spoke with over the course of the week hoped that the level of interest taken in all sports during the Island Games will continue now the competition is over.

"That does help the local sports people when they're on home ground to get that amount of support," said Hanna.

Pictured: Island Games shooting at the Aztech Centre. (ROB CURRIE)