Gunning for gold

Peter Wilson is in an enviable position. After ending last year as the top double trap shooter in the world, he is all confidence when it comes to speaking about his chances at the London Olympics later this year. "I am totally focused on the Olympics. And now that I am here in the UAE all my energies are aimed towards training as much as possible and trying to get as much quality time on the range as possible," Wilson told Gulf News as he attended last week's squad announcement by the UAE National Olympic Committee in Dubai. The British are eager to make an impact at this year's Summer Games after disappointing efforts at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games in Athens and Beijing. Their last medal came through Richard Faulds in the double trap at the 2000 Sydney Games. Spectacular rise But the prospects for London are looking bright with Faulds leading the shotgun shooting squad along with Steve Scott and Stevan Walton — gold medallist at the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games — and Wilson who scrambled up the world rankings in 2011. "I think I have been told that people are expecting me to be the favourite now for the gold medal. This is a wonderful position to be in for England as we have one or two other guys and girls who can also actually win medals," he said. "From my perspective I think I can certainly challenge for the gold with the right amount of preparations and training. I don't see why I shouldn't be targeting the best position in London," added the 25-year-old. The British shooter will be spending the next couple of weeks in training in the UAE followed by another week in Qatar. To further boost his chances, he has an astute mentor and guide in the form of the UAE's lone gold medallist, Shaikh Ahmad Hasher Al Maktoum. Early struggle Wilson falls is among a new breed of shooters who have risen as a result of the developmental programme put in place by the government after the 2008 Games in Beijing. While the initial two years were a struggle, he hit a record-breaking vein last year, winning the double trap gold at the ISSF World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia and the silver in Concepcion, Chile to push his way up the rankings as world number seven by the end of the year. "There is a lot of hard work to be done," he says. "The weather over here is absolutely fantastic and it is totally perfect for training considering also that the UK is around minus 2 or 3 degrees right now. After that we will be jetting off all over the world for a series of competitions and I don't foresee doing any competitions in the UK simply because I want to get as much international experience as possible before London," he added. "I want to go all over and shoot against the best in the world so that I can maintain my form. I am really pushing myself as I feel I have a great chance at doing some damage in London. And with Shaikh Ahmad's experience backing me, who knows what can be possible?" he asked.