British Shooting were celebrating two medals and a Rio 2016 quota place at the World Championships in Lonato, but there was sad news for Geraint Thomas. Here’s our review of the last 24 hours.
British Shooting were celebrating gold and silver medals at the World Championships in Lonato – but the good news didn’t stop there with Tim Kneale also securing Team GB a Rio 2016 quota place.
The men’s double trap trio of Matt Coward-Holley, Matt French and Kneale scored 135, 137 and 142 respectively to finish top of the pile.
Coward-Holley missed out on the semi-finals but just one target, but Kneale finished top of the leaderboard to advance.
He went on to finish the semi-final in second spot to go into the gold medal match where he lost out on the gold medal to Russian Vasily Mosin.
But despite not securing the gold medal, Kneale was absolutely delighted with his performance and insisted it had made all the hard work worth it.
"It's unbelievable,” he said. “The journey I have been on knowing I need to get on the World Class Programme and then win a spot for Rio has been tough, but to actually pull it off is amazing.
"I can't thank everyone enough. My friends and family, my coach Martin Barker, Kevin Gill, Steve Seligmann, British Shooting's sports psychologist Paul, and of course UK Sport and the National Lottery - the programme has just been great.
"I've been spending a few weeks trying to build up my confidence and I've been doing things every day, so it's a great feeling having got through qualification top of the leaderboard on 142.
"That's only my fourth international final ever, but at the end of the day you have to do the same thing, break the targets and stick to your routine."
Coward-Holley added: "It feels awesome. To become World Champions at the home of shooting, Lonato, is extra special.
"Just a year ago I was shooting in junior competitions and now I have a gold medal around my neck after competing with two fantastic GB shooters in Tim and Matt."
Geraint Thomas has pulled out of the World Road Race Championships, saying he does not feel physically up for it.
The Welshman says he is in need of a rest with a big 2016 on the horizon, meaning he will no longer strut his stuff in Virginia from 19-27 September.
"It's been a hard decision to make but the season has taken its toll on me and I don't feel physically up for a good Worlds," Thomas, 29, wrote on Facebook.
"I don't want to go there just to make up the numbers, I'd want to be competitive or at least do a good job for the boys.
"I love racing for GB and the Worlds are a really special race so it was a difficult decision to make, along with the team, but I feel it's best to rest up now before it's all systems go for a big year next year."
A new season of training at the London Aquatics Centre may have only just begun but thoughts of 2016 are not far away for Tom Daley with the Olympic bronze medallist determined to make it a successful Olympic year.
Next August, Daley will be diving off the 10m platform at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, looking to upgrade on this third-place finish in London three years ago.
Before then however there is plenty of diving to be contested, not least at the 2016 European Aquatics Championships in London from May 9-22.
The event will be held at the same pool that Daley not only took Olympic bronze in but also trains in regularly, having relocated to the English capital from Plymouth.
Tickets for the Championships go on sale on Tuesday with Daley well aware of the significance of the competition, which will be the biggest event held at the venue since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“To compete at a European Championships in London, ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, is going to be very special for me. I train at the London Aquatics Centre every day, and love competing there,” he said.
“It was great diving in London at the World Series leg back in May, that competition set me up well for the World Championships.
“British Diving is in a great place at the moment and, after the success at the World Championships, it’s going to be great to showcase our talent on home soil to the passionate British fans. Your support will be invaluable!”
The European Championships will feature synchronised swimming, diving and swimming with Adam Peaty – a three-time World champion in the latter – another counting down the days until the event.
“I have great memories of the London Aquatics Centre after breaking the 100m breaststroke world record there in April ahead of the World Championships in Kazan, and I am absolutely delighted with what I achieved there,” he said. “The past two years have been incredible and I am very excited about the opportunity to return to European action on home soil ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. “The pool in London is fast and the atmosphere when I broke the world record in April was amazing. I am so grateful for the support I receive in Britain and to stand on the blocks in London with the fans behind me is something I don’t want to miss.”
© Sportsbeat 2015