7 June 2021 by Team Gemini

2021 European Clay target shooting Championships (Osijek): C

Gemini athletes again at the top of the continental competition which is taking place in Osijek these days. Indeed the Olympic trap shooting final was held on the Croatian platforms, which saw the best European shooters take to the field. Among them Matthew Coward-Holley and Jiri Liptak cut a dash attaining a double success and thus getting to the top steps of the podium.  

Right from the start, the British and the Czech showed that they had an edge over the other competitors, so much so that the latter was the only one to break all of the 125 qualification round targets. It was precisely such duo, this time as “rivals” on the field however both relying on our chokes for competitions, to make a spectacle in the closing moments of a truly exciting final. In the end Coward-Holley, the newest continental champion, won out by three targets of advantage, placing first ahead of a though excellent Liptak (47 out of 50 as for gold, 44 out of 50 as for silver).
Importantly Mauro De Filippis ranked third, a score ensuring the number 294 quota placement allocated to Italy to compete at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

The British Coward-Holley hence won the third medal (namely a weighty one) in the last month, after those he had earned in the competition hosted by the wonderful Italian country. "Keeping my calm along with the fair chance of training abroad are now paying off as regards the several challenges I am facing," commented the athlete third in the world ranking. 

With that Matthew and Jiri brought Gemini to the Old Continent podium and were added to the list of athletes who are putting themselves in the spotlight during these European Championships. That goes without saying they deserve our most heartfelt congratulations!
Now we must target to the upcoming Olympic Games, where outstanding achievements are expected due to the ability and preparation of both athletes, combined with the effectiveness of our chokes!