Ian Coley

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Ian Coley


Sport:	Shooting
Event:	Coach
Link to Gloucestershire:	Ian is from Cheltenham
Profile:

BEHIND every great Olympian is a great coach, and Cheltenham can boast one of the finest in Ian Coley. The 61-year-old has his sights set on double success in Beijing, with proteges Richard Faulds and Steve Scott in with a shout of medals in the double trap shooting competition. Hampshire’s Faulds became a national hero in 2000 when, coached by Coley, he won gold at the Sydney Games. He is after a repeat performance in China alongside Scott from Sussex, and both are regarded as genuine medal hopes by experts and pundits alike. There were 17 qualification places available in double trap, of which European countries could claim a maximum of 13. Britain are one of only five countries to have two representatives, the others being Italy, USA, China and Russia. Coley explained: “This is the first time we’ve had two qualifiers, which is what I set out to achieve and has actually made it easier to prepare for the Games. “The Great Britain team has trained very much as a squad, whereas in the past it’s been all about individuals. “We’ve put people through pressure training, competing against each other for small monetary prizes, and our average scores have gone up in UK-based selection shoots and at overseas events. “Having said that, the bar has been raised all around the world and we’ve had to improve in order to keep pace.” Ranked number one in the world, 31-year-old Faulds also holds the world record score for double trap and heads to the Far East on the back of winning World Cup gold in Germany. Scott, 23, is 11th in the global rankings and became the European champion in Cyprus. “There are 12 people in the world capable of winning Olympic gold and Steve and Richard are in that group,” said Coley. “We’re going there with more than hope – they’ve got a genuine and realistic chance. “But if we had the double trap event today, tomorrow or the next day the top 12 would revolve around each other, so we’ve got to get it right on the day. “Richard has been Olympic champion before, so I would probably rate his chances slightly higher. “But Steve is like a little boxer or terrier, someone who will never lie down, and if he gets in a winning position he won’t let the pressure of the Olympic Games and 10,000 people watching get to him.” Beijing will be Coley’s fifth Olympics as a coach, having never managed to qualify for the Games during an illustrious career as an international competitor. Lottery funding has made a massive difference to his life and the overall profile of the sport, and his shooting school at Chatcombe is now an internationally recognised centre of excellence. Coley’s regime is more hectic than ever in an Olympic year, with around 150 days dedicated to training. “I’m very passionate about the Olympics and winning medals, ever since Bob Braithwaite won in 1968, and I have to say the excitement of the Games motivates me more than anything else,” he said. “I probably care too much, but I’m lucky that my wife Jane competes at international level with gun dogs and understands the sacrifices that have to be made.” The double trap competition takes place on August 12 – perhaps an omen as it coincides with the start of the ‘glorious’ grouse shooting season back home. Coley will not allow his focus to drift from the quest for gold, but he admits the prospect of coaching at London 2012 is already a mouthwatering one. “I’ve been the national coach for eight or nine years and I’ll be 65 in 2012, so that would be the ideal finish for me,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens in Beijing – I could get the sack afterwards – but I’d love to be involved in some capacity, hopefully in coaching.”
Competition dates: (all times BST)

Richard Faulds, Steve Scott, double trap. Qualification: August 12, 2am to 6am Final: August 12, 8.45am

The Shed is the greatest viewing point in sport. To do anything to damage would be an outrage.
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