St. Mary’s College puts the spotlight on Olympic sport of Target Shooting

25 Oct 2023

St. Mary’s College was the venue this week for a taster weekend designed to promote the up-and-coming Olympic sport of target shooting.

Ruth Mwandumba, the first female black athlete to represent England in the sport, was the VIP guest at the event which was held at her former school, St. Mary’s College.

Ruth – who is a two-time English champion – said the aim of the ‘have a go’ weekend was to change the perceptions of target shooting by making it a more inclusive sport.

“Our objective with this event was to break down the barriers to target shooting by providing a platform to allow more people to get involved with our fantastic sport,” she explained.

The weekend was part of British Shooting’s TargetChange initiative which is being run in partnership with the Women’s Sports Alliance and ELEY, manufacturer of air pellets for competitive rifle and pistol shooters.

Guests at the event were able to learn the basics of air rifle and air pistol shooting and try these Olympic disciplines for themselves.

There were also fun and interactive sessions that focused on the other skills required by the sport including mental training, balance, speed and co-ordination.

Participants also had the chance to meet and chat with athletes and coaches who are part of the British Shooting Olympic and Paralympic World Class Programmes.

Ruth commented: “TargetChange is an excellent initiative and I am very proud to support it, especially at this event hosted by St. Mary’s, my former school.

“We had a great turnout and the feedback we received indicates that guests really appreciated the opportunity to experience this new and exciting sport at first hand.”

St. Mary’s College Principal, Mike Kennedy, added: “Ruth has done remarkably well in target shooting and we were delighted to welcome her back to the school to play a key role in this popular and well-attended event.”