Oh come on Pericles, it's not often you meet someone of his calibre.

I shot small-bore at school and for some time after before moving to centrefire calibres. A .22 target rifle is an incredibly sensitive piece of kit, demanding icy control and intense concentration to manage, let alone master. A properly set-up small-bore rifle has a hair-trigger that will literally respond to a touch - even a strong puff of breath is enough in some cases. One needs acute awareness of the wind, one's breathing, even an awareness of and an accommodation to one's pulse can be critical to achieving best results. To see a 16 year old able to control her body and mind well enough to win gold is staggering.

I was much better at shooting larger calibres over longer ranges using sporting and military rifles, which tolerate somewhat less delicate handling.

My hat's off to the girls.

Congratulations Alethea.

Takes a lot of skill and dedication to acheive that standard.

Shows that not all the young spend all their time on computers.

Well done and congrats to the lady shottees as well.