Nathan Hales has cited his former coach as the motivation behind his record breaking gold at Paris 2024.
The trap shooter shot a new Olympic record of 48 from a possible 50 on his way to beating's China's Qi Ying to the top spot in Chateauroux, coming within just one shot of his own world record.
It had always been his dream to go to an Olympic Games with former coach Kevin Gill, but Hales' mentor sadly passed away in 2020.
Hales missed out on selection for Tokyo the following year but bounced back to clinch the Olympic title in 2024 and did so safe in the knowledge his old mentor would be looking on proudly.
"My motivation has always been the reason I do this," he said.
"The coach I started this journey with passed away in 2020, which was a huge loss for me as I was really close with him and we had a great relationship.
The moment Nathan Hales sealed gold in the trap shooting! 🥇@TeamGB's third gold medal at #Paris2024.#BBCOlympics #Olympics pic.twitter.com/cL2I2ElD60
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 30, 2024
"For a while, competing didn't quite feel the same and it was really hard to feel motivation for competitions and I didn't quite get the same buzz.
"We dreamed of going to an Olympics together, him and I. Unfortunately that wasn't possible but I managed to see it home for him in the end.
"Nothing, other than becoming a father, can make you prouder than winning an Olympic medal. It's lived up to everything and more."
Hales went into Paris ranked number two in the world, having broken the trap world record at the World Cup in 2023.
And while other athletes were touring the globe to clinch enough points to qualify for Paris, the 28-year-old Brit had already sealed his place on the Eurostar with men's trap silver at the 2022 World Championships.
Dreams come true when you put in the work, just ask Nathan Hales 🤩🥇#ISSF pic.twitter.com/FM5fd4qsGj
— ISSF (@issf_official) October 29, 2024
Able to sit back and enjoy his run up to a maiden Olympics, Hales admitted it was daunting going against the flow of the crowd but managed to hold his nerve when it mattered.
"It's been a crazy few years," he said. "I was fortunate that I was able to pick and chose the events I wanted to go to over the last few years, which meant I could really tailor the build up to Paris.
"I had an element of doubt and concern that I wasn't going to the events everyone else was going to and worried that I was doing the wrong thing by staying at home.
"But I trusted in my plan to stay and it worked."
It did so emphatically as Hales claimed Team GB's third gold medal of the Games in style.
An Olympic record not on his radar during the event but proved the perfect icing on the Parisian cake for the delighted marksman.
"When I broke the world record, I had the realisation just before that I could do it since I knew what I needed," he said.
"But I wasn't aware of what the Olympic record was at the time, so I was just shooting targets and see where I could get to.
"To come out of it with a gold and then afterwards, realise that we set an Olympic record as well was incredible."
Sportsbeat 2024