Bethany Wins Olympic Skeet Bronze in Qatar

Lower Sixth (Y12) student, Bethany Norton, won bronze in the Junior Ladies Olympic Skeet at the Amir Grand Prix – Lusail Shotgun Competition, held in Qatar from 22 February to 1 March.

Open to athletes aged 21 and under, Bethany was one of 100 athletes within the competition, of which 15 competitors made up the Junior Ladies division. With a score of 108/125 overall, Bethany secured the Junior Ladies bronze medal, and would have placed in the top 20 of the Senior Ladies division.

This achievement follows Bethany’s first appearance in a Senior Ladies competition back in January, where she competed in the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Cairo World Cup, Egypt. Scoring 109/125, Bethany placed 20th whilst earning her first senior team cap for Great Britain. As the competition had no age limit, Bethany was the youngest competitor at the age of 17.

Commenting on her first senior competition for Great Britain, Bethany said, “Competing in a Senior competition for the first time was surprisingly very different from any Junior internationals I’ve been to. Unsurprisingly the standard of the athletes was much higher.

This was the first competition where I had a big support team around me – coaches, sports psychologists, and physiotherapists. As a Junior, I don’t usually get access to these resources, especially not during a competition, so this took quite a bit of adjustment.

It was exciting to shoot against so many great athletes, many of whom have been my idols since I first started shooting.”

Participating in the ISSF Cairo World Cup as a Senior awarded Bethany with a world ranking for the first time. She is now ranked 34th in the world for Olympic Skeet.

Bethany, who began shooting in 2018 but only took up skeet shooting in 2021, trains with Great Britain team coaches and staff in the World Class Programme once a month alongside regular individual practice during the week. Back in October, Bethany was crowned Junior Ladies Olympic Skeet British Champion for the second year running.

As the domestic season begins, Bethany is looking forward to competing in many national and international competitions over the next few months including the British Shooting Shotgun Series and Selection Shoots, the British Grand Prix, the English Grand Prix and English Open, where she hopes to retain her titles of reigning Ladies Champion, the European Championships, the Italian Grand Prix, and the Junior World Cup.

The College would like to extend its congratulations to Bethany and wishes her all the best in her upcoming competitions.