Hot shot Emily sets sights on Team GB

A YOUNG hot-shot from Newton Poppleford has set her sights on the Olympics after notching up the greatest achievement of her short career last week. Emily Irish, 16, took second place in the Eley, a national shooting competition in Bisley last Sunday (August 10) and is one of the youngest competitors to do so. Competing in class D of the competition, Emily won her qualifying section and soon found herself going from hitting targets 25 yards away indoors to facing the elements outside and shooting from double the distance. She only missed out on glory through a backtracking system after finishing joint top with a score of 372. Sidbury Rifle Club member Emily, a Sidmouth College pupil, said: "Last week was my best achievement yet, the level of competition was so high and the conditions were horrible."Earlier this year Emily took first place in both the under 16 and under 21 divisions of the South West Small Bore Youth Championships, adding to a host of accolades she has collected since taking up the sport just before her 14th birthday. Emily said: "My dream would be to go to the 2012 games in London but they have already picked the teams. I said when I started I wanted to compete at an Olympics and hope I can progress that far."The next step on the road to her dream will be mastering the three position (3P) shooting and adding it to her current prowess in the prone discipline. Proud mum Lyn said: "Shooting runs in our family, especially on her dad's side, and she's doing so well. "She's outclassed me and has now started to outclass her dad, who shoots at county level - he's threatening to give up!" "A massive challenge is the cost of equipment. Emily has a second hand shooting jacket at the moment, a new one costing between £3-400. "She should be practising three or four times a week but it's hard to keep that up simply because the price of ammunition has doubled recently.