Bookaar trap shooting export Penny Smith has started the year with a bang as she prepares for possible Olympic Games selection in 2024.
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The Tokyo Olympian clinched gold at the International Shooting Sport Federation Trap Commonwealth Championships in Perth on January 16 before taking home silver at the same venue in the ISSF Trap National Championships three days later.
The 27-year-old shot an identical 30 out of 35 targets in both medal matches.
Smith said she was "happy, all in all" with her efforts.
"My qualifying in the nationals was certainly a lot better than the Commonwealth but I mean it is what it is," she said.
"Conditions were hot and windy.
"The Commonwealth titles were a bit windier than the national title.
"I mean the targets were there to be shot.
"They flew true so it was good."
Smith has a busy 12 months before 2024 Paris Olympic selections early next year.
Her next event is Melbourne's Yarra Valley Grand Prix - the third ISSF World Championships selection event - in February.
She will then begin competing in an international series in March.
Smith said her main focus this year was to contest the world championships, scheduled for August-September in Azerbaijan.
She won bronze with the women's trap team at the 2022 edition in Croatia however was forced to pull out of the individual event due to an eye infection.
I'm shooting really quite well, my other teammates are shooting well also. You can just put the score on the board and let your shooting do the talking.
- Penny Smith
"(I'm) looking for a bigger, better (year) this year and hopefully can shoot really well at world champs, finish top-four and win a quota," she said.
"And we'll see what happens with selection for Paris from there."
She said it was hard to say what her chances of making the Australian Olympic team were.
"I'm shooting really quite well, my other teammates are shooting well also," she said.
"So I mean you can just put the score on the board and let your shooting do the talking at the end of the day."
The past 12 months were successful for Smith.
As well as her world championship bronze medal, she won a women's trap team gold at the world cup event held in Cyprus in March before claiming individual silver at the Changwon world cup meeting.
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Matt Hughes
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
