USQ psychologist on target for Commonwealth Games

A USQ psychologist has been selected to accompany the Australian Shooting team to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi this October.

Faculty of Sciences Professor in Psychology, Peter Terry, recently returned to Toowoomba from Munich, Germany, where he provided psychological support to the Australian team at the 2010 ISSF World Shooting Championships.

'Munich was my first overseas trip with the Australian team,' Professor Terry said.

'I think my input was appreciated by the athletes and coaches and to be selected for the Commonwealth Games is a real bonus.'

Australia won one gold medal and three silver medals over the 11 days of competition, and also secured a precious quota place for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The championships featured a record 2,250 competitors from 103 nations.

The Australian women’s 10m air pistol team, featuring Lalita Yauhleuskaya, Dina Aspandiyarova and Linda Ryan, captured the team gold medal with a combined score of 1145 from a possible 1200, finishing two points clear of Korea, with China taking the bronze medal.

Yauhleuskaya, who is the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, also won the individual silver medal in the same event.

Young Victorian shooter, Catherine Skinner won individual silver in the junior women’s trap, while also leading Australia to the silver medal in the team event along with Laetisha Scanlan and Teegan McCloy.

Skinner narrowly missed out on gold, succumbing in a tense shoot-off to USA shooter, Miranda Wilder.

Tied on 69 of 75 targets after three competition rounds, both shooters hit their first nine targets in the shoot-off. When Skinner missed her tenth shot, Wilder pounced to take the gold medal in front of a large crowd.

After the final, Skinner was delighted with the silver medal.

'I was really nervous heading into the first round this morning because you never know how the day is going to go,' Skinner said.

'The targets were sitting out there like dinner plates today. I am really happy with the silver medal. Obviously gold would have been nicer, but I am very happy.'

Olympic gold medallist from 1996 and 2000, Michael Diamond missed out on a place in the final of the men’s trap by a hair’s breadth despite a tremendous fight back on the second day of competition.

Heading into the fifth and final round, Diamond was sitting two targets outside the top six to make the final but produced a stunning perfect round of 25 to enter a seven way shoot-off for the last two places in the final. The 38-year-old Gold Coast resident narrowly missed his first shot in the shoot-off to bow out of the competition, but with his head held high.