Dan Tarrant hailed a victory over Mother Nature after claiming another shooting gold for Team GB at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival.
The 16-year-old made his Festival bow on day three on Friday at which point Sydney was experiencing its hottest day ever.
But, rather than wilt in the heat, Tarrant kept his cool and held a one shot lead in the men’s trap after the initial 75 shots.
He extended it to three shots by the end of qualification 24 hours later before going on to claim gold five shots ahead of Australia’s James Grice.
And, if topping the podium wasn’t enough for Tarrant, to do so in the blazing sun Down Under made it all the more sweeter.
“I am over the moon to have won the gold,” said Tarrant – who joined fellow Team GB shooters Kristian Callaghan and Sian Bruce in winning gold in Australia.
“I didn’t think I could do it, I thought it would be a lot harder than it was. Despite the weather I am happy with the result.
“The weather played a big impact on the results, on my whole routine, from drinking lots of water to performing.
“When we go abroad we will experience similar heat conditions, so hopefully now I have experienced extreme heat conditions I can learn from it. It is good practice.
“I have two highlights, to achieve what I have achieved and to survive the heat. Along with meeting new people from around the world, I hope I have made some lifelong friends.”
© Sportsbeat 2013