Leongatha based Olympian secures Paris 2024

LEONGATHA based Olympian Aislin Jones, who uses Korumburra Gun Club as one of her training grounds, won the Women’s Skeet event at the 2023 Oceania Region ISSF Championships in Brisbane on Friday November 3, securing Australia the Oceania Region Olympic quota for next year’s Paris Games.

The Oceania Region encompasses Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and the Philippines.  

In a tight final in which New Zealand’s Chloe Tipple edged ahead briefly just before the halfway mark, Aislin ultimately proved too strong, finishing the event with an Oceania record-equalling 53 out of 60 targets.

Aislin said a strong start helped ease her nerves and that although she became increasingly aware of the score, she kept looking to her dad Dave who provided valuable reassurance.

As well as securing the Paris quota for Australia, Aislin earned the gold medal, with two-time Olympian Tipple claiming the silver and Tokyo Olympian Laura Coles of Western Australia taking the bronze.

Aislin made her Olympic debut while still a Year 10 student at Nagle College in Bairnsdale and living in Lakes Entrance.

In Brisbane, she competed over two days and five rounds of 25 targets in her qualifying event, shooting 115 of the 125 targets.

Those targets travel at 100kmh and are often shot in pairs. 

Aislin was top qualifier overall, beating male and female entrants. 

Securing top qualification ensured that at no stage during the 60-target final would she be eliminated if tied with another athlete. 

“I was nervous going into the event, but I was happy with my qualification score,” Aislin said.

While a final usually consists of six competitors, being the Olympic quota event for the IOC’s Oceania Region meant only the top four ranked shooters from Australia and New Zealand were eligible.

In 2021 Aislin moved to Leongatha where she lives with her partner Jack Stockdale, one of Australia’s top American Skeet shooters.

Frank Morris from Sydney won the men’s event giving Australia a men’s quota and with both men’s and women’s quotas, Australia is now eligible for the mixed teams event in Paris.

Selection events to fill the quotas will commence with national championships in January and run through until May.

The team will be announced after the World Cup in Azerbaijan. 

The top ranked shooting athlete over the six selection events will be picked for Paris.

Aislin will have a break from competitions until the National Championships in Brisbane in January. 

Predominantly self-funded, she has a strong social media following and is looking for sponsors to help cover the extensive costs she will incur through training and attending selection events in Australia between now and March.