Newly crowned British Skeet champion Ben Llewellin will lead the Welsh challenge at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Brisbane between October 30 and November 7.

Wales have sent a 13-strong team to get an early sighter of the venue that will be used to host the Commonwealth Games event next year. Llewellin will be hoping to top the podium once again after his win at the Fauxdegla Premier Shooting Ground, near Wrexham earlier this month.

The 23-year-old Haverfordwest-born Llewellin, son of former Wales rally driver David Llewellin, has already competed at the European Championships in Baku this year and will go into the Commonwealth event with his confidence sky high after not only winning the inaugural British Shooting Shotgun Grand Final in his class, but also being announced among the shooters awarded Podium funding for 2017/18.

The competition in north Wales was for both Skeet and Trap disciplines and saw nearly 100 athletes compete. As well as Llewellin’s gold medal, Eleanor Allen took silver in the Women’s Skeet.

Allen, a silver medallist in Glasgow four years ago, hasn’t travelled to Australia, but there are eight of the 14 shooters who did represented Wales at the last Commonwealth Games – husband and wife team Sarah and Mike Wizey, Sian Corish, Coral Kennerley, Jonathan Davies, David Phelps, Gareth Morris and Chris Watson.

The Welsh team landed safely in Australia this week and the team features a host of talent to take part in Full Bore Rifle, ISSF Shotgun and ISSF Rifle & Pistol events. Both senior and junior athletes have been selected.

“There has been a lot of competition for places across the disciplines and between development, juniors and senior athletes. This shows the strength we have in the team,” said Welsh Shootings performance director, John Dallimore.

“We look forward to going into a challenging time, as most disciplines will be out of their competition season. The team is focussed on preparations for the Championships over the next couple of months before their attention turns to the Commonwealth Games early next year.”

Wales Team for Commonwealth Shooting Championships

50m Rifle
50 m Prone Rifle: David Phelps, Ryan Williams, Sián Corish
50 m 3 x20: Sián Corish

Airgun
10 m Rifle: Sián Corish
10 m Pistol: Craig Auden, Coral Kennerley

Shotgun Full bore Rifle
Olympic Skeet: Ben Llewellin
Olympic Trap: Sarah Wixey, Mike Wixey, Jonathan Davies, Lewis Owen, Gareth Morris

Full Bore
Individual: Gareth Morris, Christopher Watson, Rob Oxford
Pairs: Christopher Watson, Gareth Morris