England pistol shooter Michael Gault could become the most medalled athlete in Commonwealth Games history when he competes at the Delhi 2010 Games in October.
 
Gault, who is named today (Tuesday) in England’s a 22-strong shooting team for Delhi, has won 15 medals from four Games to date.
 
The Norfolk shooter is entered for up to eight competitions in Delhi and would become the most medalled athlete in Commonwealth Games history if he wins four medals.
 
That record is thought to be held by Australian pistol shooter Phillip Adams, who won 18 medals from six Commonwealth Games.  
 
Gault’s four medals in Melbourne four years ago made him England’s most medalled Commonwealth Games athlete, overhauling the record of 13 held by swimmer Karen Pickering.
 
Gault said Delhi is likely to be his last Commonwealth Games.
 
“I’m 56 now and I’ve drawn a line in the sand and said after these Games I’m retiring. I’m already one of the older shooters around,” he said.
 
“I’ve got one more goal now. This time I’ve got the chance of becoming the most successful athlete in the history of the Commonwealth Games from any country.
 
“Because of who I am and what I’ve done, everyone expects something every time I step on to the firing line. That’s a huge responsibility and something I’ve got to control emotionally and physically.
 
”I’ve done everything I can possibly do, I don’t talk about not winning any more,” he added. “ I’ve got my mind around the fact that I’m going to go there and win – otherwise, what’s the point in going?”
 
The England shooting team for Delhi also includes 19-year-old rifle shooter James Huckle, who was one of the stars of the show for England at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India, two years ago.  
 
Huckle, from Harlow in Essex, returned home with a hat-trick of gold medals from the 50m rifle prone, 10m air rifle and the 50m rifle three-positions. He later collected three silvers and two bronzes at the Commonwealth Shooting Federation Championship, the test event for the Games in Delhi in February
 
He said: “Competing at a multi-sports event was a completely different experience to a shooting event, I got to meet lots of people from other sports and see how they train. It was a really good insight.

“I knew that winning a medal in each event in Pune was possible, but getting three golds was amazing, I wasn’t expecting that.
 
“Having been to the Commonwealth Games shooting venue, I’m very much looking forward to going back there in October.”
 
Today’s shooting team selections take the total number of England athletes selected for Delhi to date to 89.
 
England Commonwealth Games Chef de Mission Craig Hunter said: “I am delighted to welcome the shooters to the English Commonwealth Games team and I wish them every success in Delhi.

“I’d also like to wish Michael Gault the very best of luck in achieving a piece of history in Delhi.”  
 
England finished third in the shooting medals table at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games four years ago, behind India and Australia, with six golds, eight silvers and five bronzes.
 
Mike Babb from Coventry returns to action in Delhi with the aim of winning his third successive gold medal in the 50m rifle prone pairs, each with different partners. This time he teams-up with Richard Wilson. Babb has also won back- to-back silver medals in the 50m rifle prone singles.
 
Clive Bramley and Richard Brickell, silver medallists in the skeet pairs four years ago, also return to action in Delhi, as do Gorgs Geikie and Julia Lydall, bronze medallists in the 10m air pistol pairs in Melbourne.
 
 
England shooting team for Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games by event
 
Clay              
Men's skeet                Clive Bramley - Richard Brickell
Men's trap                   Aaron Heading - David Kirk
Women's trap              Abbey Burton - Anita North
Men's double trap       Steven Scott - Steven Walton
 
Full-bore                     Parag Patel - Jon Underwood
 
Pistol           
Air pistol men            Nick Baxter - Michael Gault
Air pistol women        Gorgs Geikie - Julia Lydall
50m pistol                  Nick Baxter - Michael Gault                        
25m sport pistol           Gorgs Geikie - Julia Lydall
25m standard pistol    Michael Gault - Iqbal Ubhi
Centre fire                 Michael Gault - Iqbal Ubhi
 
Rifle            
Air rifle men               James Huckle - Kenny Parr
Air rifle women            Sheree Cox - TBC
Prone men                   Mike Babb - Richard Wilson
Prone women            Sharon Lee - Michelle Smith
3 x 40                       James Huckle - Kenny Parr
3 x 20                       Sharon Lee - Michelle Smith
 

Background info
Men
 
Michael Babb – born 14.10.63 at Farnborough, Kent; lives Coventry, West Midlands.
Nick Baxter – born 18.03.71 at Maulden, Bedfordshire; lives Bedford.
Clive Bramley – born 28.03.76 at Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire; lives Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
Richard Brickell – born 29.10.75 at Newbury, Berkshire; lives Newbury.
Michael Gault – born 02.05.54 at Sheffield, South Yorkshire; lives Dereham, Norfolk.
Aaron Heading – born 21.05.87 at Kings Lynn, Norfolk; lives Spalding, Lincolnshire.
James Huckle – born 17.09.90 at Harlow, Essex; lives Harlow.
David Kirk – born 09.01.71 at Doncaster, South Yorkshire; lives Doncaster.
Kenny Parr – born 03.10.88 at Westminster, London; lives Thornton Heath, London.
Parag Patel – born 27.12.75 at Kingston, Surrey; lives Esher, Surrey.
Steven Scott – born 10.01.85 at Lewisham, London; lives Battle, East Sussex.
Iqbal Ubhi – born 05.08.67 at Nairobi, Kenya; lives Birmingham.
Jon Underwood – born 11.01.70 at Guildford, Surrey; lives Godalming, Surrey.
Stevan Walton – born 23.04.85 at Bromsgrove, West Midlands; lives Redditch, Worcestershire.
Richard Wilson – born 29.08.64 at Newport, Isle of Wight; lives Newport, IoW.
 
 
Women
 
Abbey Burton – born 30.03.87 at High Wycombe; lives Wellington, Somerset.
Sheree Cox – born 16.07.90 at Ashford, Middlesex; lives Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex.
Gorgs Geikie – born 06.12.84 at Okehampton, Devon; lives Okehampton.
Sharon Lee – born 06.08.76 at Leicester; lives Leicester.
Julie Lydall – born 16.05.86 at Haywards Heath, East Sussex; lives Nutley, East Sussex.
Anita North – born 10.01.63 at Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire; lives Cambridge.
Michelle Smith – born 09.05.83 at Keighley, West Yorkshire; lives Havant, Hampshire.
 
 
 
The 2010 Commonwealth Games take place in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. They will feature 17 sports - archery, aquatics (swimming, synchronised swimming & diving), athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, rugby 7s, shooting, squash, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling. With the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Commonwealth Games England is entering a breath-taking four years of sport.

Commonwealth Games England (GCE) is the organisation responsible for selecting and organising England's team at the Commonwealth Games.   England finished second to Australia on the medal table at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games with 36 golds, 40 silvers and 34 bronzes.

Sport England is responsible for building the foundations of sporting success, by creating a world-leading community sport system of clubs, coaches, facilities and volunteers. Their focus is growing and sustaining the numbers of people taking part in sport and improving talent development to help more people excel.
 

For further information about Commonwealth Games England please contact the Commonwealth Games England press office at Matchtight Ltd on 07765 071683 or 07831 755351 or see the CGE’s website at www.weareengland.org <http://www.weareengland.org <http://www.weareengland.org> >