Eyes were on Nathan Hales as he won gold, which British shooting needs says Seligmann

By Megan Armitage

British Shooting team leader Steven Seligmann has credited Nathan Hales as the inspiration needed to bring more eyes to the sport of shooting.

Hales, 28, stormed to men's trap victory for Team GB in a new Olympic record on the fourth day of Paris 2024, shooting 48 out of 50 in the final.

The trap shooter from Medway, who also owns the world record, qualified second for the final but Seligmann was not surprised by the cool composure of Hales, stating that his work ethic and talent put him on the path to Olympic glory long ago.

"I have an overriding sense of pride for Nathan, his family, and really the whole body shooting community," he said.

"He's a special individual who's worked incredibly hard for this, and I know the team has supported immensely all along that journey.

"To be honest, it wasn't a surprise. Nathan is the world record holder and he's the world record holder because of the hard work he puts in, but equally, the brilliant support team he has around him. It was pretty special to watch.

"Nathan's been on a journey for 10 years with us, when we first recruited had the recruitment campaign that we did in partnership with UK Sport and the National Lottery. "He's been on that journey with us since he was a junior and he's grown, he's evolved, he's matured, all the way through it."

With the Olympics providing the perfectly opportunity to shine a light on sports that aren't often in the limelight, Seligmann now hopes that gold can help inspire a new generation of people to get into the sport of shooting.

"It's our moment to shine, as with a lot of other Olympic sports," he added.

"I just really hope it creates another inspirational moment as part of Team GB but certainly within the shooting community.

"We're incredibly proud of what we do here at British Shooting. We're very proud of our athletes, and we just hope it inspires more people to take up the sport, to come on that journey with us, and hopefully to find future Olympic athletes which is what we're about."

Hales is one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – this is vital for their pathway to the Paris 2024 Games.

And Seligmann noted just how crucial the support of The National Lottery is to allowing incredible dreams, such as Hales', to come true.

"The support from The National Lottery is critical," he said.

"The whole of the high performance system is very special but at the core of it, without that resource and support from the National Lottery and UK Sport, we wouldn't be at the start line in the Olympic Games.

"It enables us to travel the world, to train, to compete, but essentially to do the basics.

"No athlete will get into the top of their podium without a team of quality people around them.

"And at the heart of that you have to trust those people, to trust your coach implicitly.

"We're really proud of the program and the pathway we've creating here at British Shooting and we're still going on that journey. I know there's more to come."

With more than £30M a week raised for Good Causes, including vital funding into elite and grassroots sport, National Lottery players support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes to live their dreams and make the nation proud, as well as providing more opportunities for people to take part in sport. To find out more visit: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk