Kiara Dean (centre) claimed the NSW ISSF State Trap title on March 23, ahead of reigning Olympic bronze medallist Penny Smith (left) and Molly Bretag (right). Photo: Supplied.
With two major international shoots on the horizon, local trap shooter Kiara Dean will be going in with plenty of confidence after a composed performance at the NSW ISSF State Titles last weekend.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Dean shot 116 of 125 targets on her way to the final, where she then landed 44 of 50 shots to claim the win and the NSW ladies state championship on Sunday, March 23.
“I was absolutely thrilled to win this one,” Dean said.
“Being a Tier 1 event with Shooting Australia, it’s the highest regarded event for selection that Shooting Australia has in their series, so a really solid one to have a good selection score for.”
Dean hit 23 straight targets to start the final with a useful lead; however, Olympic medallist Penny Smith showed her quality to draw level with Dean for a one-on-one shootout over the final 10 targets.
Dean would hit nine of those final 10 targets, while Smith let two escape her sights, earning the Echuca shooter the win by a single target.
Kiara Dean hit 23 straight targets to start the final, finishing on 44 from 50. Photo: Supplied.
Although it wasn’t the first time Dean had finished ahead of Smith in the pair’s careers, prevailing over the reigning Olympic bronze medallist from last year’s Paris Games is undoubtedly a great achievement.
“(Smith's) absolutely world-class and she's undeniably one of the best shooters that Australia has got,” Dean said.
“She's an incredible competitor and to be standing up alongside her is an honour let alone being competitive with her this weekend.”
Also among the finals field was 2016 Olympic gold medallist Catherine Skinner and three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Laetisha Scanlan.
Wet and windy conditions complicated matters for the shooters, but it was Dean who was able to make the best of the tough weather and outscore her opponents.
“We did have fairly rough conditions, it was raining and the targets were difficult to see,” she said.
“Our sport is an outdoor sport and being outdoors you are susceptible to all the weather conditions, (but) I think it's just really important to not let yourself make that an excuse.
“We're all out there in the same conditions and I find that even though it's raining and it can make your gun feel quite slippery, you've just got to really knuckle in, don't let yourself use that as an excuse and keep powering through.”
While a prestigious win in its own right, Dean’s NSW title win serves as the perfect preparation for a fast-approaching South American tour.
Dean will be flying out today (Monday, March 31), on her way to Buenos Aires for a World Cup in Argentina on April 1-11, before moving on to Lima, Peru for a second World Cup from April 13-22.
The Echuca shooter is one of only three Australian women to be selected for the world cups, alongside Smith and Scanlan.
“The international experience is really important and being able to shoot with world-class athletes here at home puts us in a really good position,” Dean said.
“The scores that we shoot here at home are the scores that we need to shoot overseas, so having that as an expectation for domestic events, really raises our bar for when we go to an international event.
“Those (World Cup) scores will then be helpful in selection towards the World Championships later on in the year.
“All the scores and all the events we shoot now, all lead us up to the World Championships, the biggest event of the year.
“They, ultimately, as we get closer to the Olympics, will be where we will compete for quota positions for the Olympic Games.”
A former junior world champion, Dean placed sixth in qualifying for the Paris 2024 Oylmpics.
