Bishop’s Stortford College student Bethany Norton wins bronze Olympic skeet medal in Qatar

Bethany Norton won a junior ladies’ Olympic skeet bronze medal at a competition in Qatar.

The Bishop’s Stortford College student, who is in the Lower Sixth, scored 108 out of 125 in her event at the Amir Grand Prix - Lusail Shotgun Competition.

Norton, who began shooting in 2018 before taking up skeet shooting in 2021, was one of 100 shooters in the competition, of which 15 made up the junior division. Her total would have put her in the top 20 of the senior section.

The Year 12 pupil went into the tournament on a high after also recently making her senior debut when she competed in the International Shooting Sport Federation Cairo World Cup in Egypt.

There she scored 109 out of 125 to finish 20th as she earned her maiden senior team cap for Great Britain. She was also the youngest competitor at the age of 17.

Participating in the Cairo World Cup as a senior meant she was given a world ranking for the first time and she is ranked 34th in the world for Olympic skeet.

“Competing in a senior competition for the first time was surprisingly very different from any junior internationals I’ve been to,” said Norton. “Unsurprisingly, the standard of the athletes was much higher.

“This was the first competition where I had a big support team around me - coaches, sports psychologists and physiotherapists. As a Junior, I don’t usually get access to these resources, especially not during a competition, so this took quite a bit of adjustment.

“It was exciting to shoot against so many great athletes, many of whom have been my idols since I first started shooting.”

Norton trains with Great Britain team coaches and staff in the World Class Programme once a month alongside regular individual practice during the week.

Back in October she was crowned British junior ladies’ Olympic skeet champion for the second year running.