One member of Australia's Olympic shooting team hasn't taken the conventional path to compete at this year's Tokyo Games.
Elise Collier, who will compete in the women's 10m and the mixed teams 10m air rifle events, and pistol shooters Sergei Evglevski and Elena Galiabovitch were in Shepparton last month as they escaped Melbourne's hard lockdown and took advantage of regional Victoria's relaxed restrictions to continue their preparation, which allowed them to travel to Queensland before they headed to Japan's capital.
But as Collier explains, preparing for her first international competition in Shepparton was only a small part of her unconventional story.
“I used to play cricket — that was my main sport,” Collier said.
“When I was 13, I had a training accident and fractured my skull and I had a couple of issues.
“I've had a permanent headache ever since I got hit and as a result my concentration wasn't where it was.
“I couldn't focus on having a conversation or my school work.
“I'd seen all the neurologists and all the other doctors possible and no-one seemed to be able help.
“So Dad said one day ‘what about instead of trying to cure the headaches, we try to find ways to deal with them?'
“When he was younger, Dad used to do a fair bit of shooting, but not so much now, and when I was learning to shoot I learnt techniques about how to focus and Dad thought if we can’t cure them (headaches) I needed to try and focus through them and so that's how I got into it (shooting).”
While COVID-19 caused havoc to her training schedule and qualification chances, it was an unfortunate incident at the Oceania qualification event that led her to qualify in a discipline that wasn't her pet event.
“My main event is probably the 3P (50m rifle three positions) which is 50m with a 22 (0.22 inch calibre rifle),” she said.
“In order to make it to an Olympics, your country has to have a quota spot, but also each athlete has to have a minimum qualifying score in that event and you have to do that at designated events.
“For us, it was the Oceanias and my 22 broke while I was there, so I didn't get the minimum qualifying score for what I thought was my main event.
“I got the air rifle when I got home and my coach Mike said ‘do we want to focus on air rifle to see where that takes us or continue doing both?'
“I couldn't shoot with my 22 because it wasn't working, so we focused on air and it went all right in the end.”
With Collier only shooting for about three or four years at the International Shooting Sport Federation level, she is only focused on doing her best, but coach Mike Jarrod, who was with her at the Shepparton Amateur Pistol Club at Pine Lodge, said she had "a better than even chance" of taking home a medal.
“She's certainly shooting at a level that is equal to, or better than, anyone else, but it can come down to the luck of the day,” Jarrod said.
Shepparton Amateur Pistol Club member Peter Lehne said it was a "privilege" to host Olympians at the club, which has ranges for pistol and air rifle disciplines.
“It’s a privilege to have these people, who have worked so hard to get to this goal, come out here to our club and have them practice for their highest point of their careers,” Lehne said.
“It builds an element of excitement because the athletes said ‘bring everyone to come and have a look'.
“We had people line up and come and have a look at them train — it's great to see.”
Collier, who has attended the Shepparton club before, said everyone was welcoming to her and her coach.
“I really like the facilities here in Shepp,” she said.
“I've been here a couple of times and I find the range quite homey, which I really like.
“Everyone's really welcoming every time.
“Even if they are from pistol and I don't know them, they are always a friendly face and the targets — it's the same black dot at 10m, so it doesn’t matter where it is.
“I'm really enjoying my time here.”
Collier will compete in her two events on July 24 and 27.
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