Derek Burnett has officially got the nod for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Burnett’s fifth Olympic games.
Ireland’s most decorated shooter will join Rob Heffernan (Race Walker) and David Wilkins (Sailor) as the only Irish athlete’s to compete at three Olympic Games.
The 51-year-old Longford man made his debut in the Sydney Games in 2000 and competed in every Games bar Rio 2016 since. His highest Olympic finish was joint ninth in the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.
“It’s an amazing thing to be selected for the Olympics, it’s a difficult thing to describe” declared Burnett with the Men’s Trap takes place in the Asaka Shooting Range from the 29-30 July.
“You can be selected for a World Cup or a European Championships or World Championships – all of which are great. But being selected for an Olympics just tops everything, it’s just wonderful.”
“This Olympic cycle has been extremely long one and a particularly hard one for all the athletes” said Erig Conway, Chair of the Irish Clay Target Shooting Association.
“But in Derek Burnett we have a seasoned Olympian who knows how to deal with the pressures and sense of occasion that the Olympics brings”.
“I have every confidence in his resilience, but above all his world class shooting ability. We are a small organisation so having someone compete for Ireland on the global stage gives the whole shooting community a great boost.”
Team Ireland now consists of 96 officially selected athletes, with over 110 athlete spots confirmed, making this the largest team to represent Ireland yet.
There are two remaining team announcements which will take place in the coming days. The Olympic Games in Tokyo will run from the 23rd July to 8th August 2021.
