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Having missed out on most things Olympic last year, it all ended with me feeling a little deflated at the avoidance tactic I had employed. I had no interest in buying tickets, and felt that London would be too hectic to enjoy with the thousands of additional tourists. So, instead I sat in my flat and watched the TV. By the time the closing ceremony was in full swing I began to realise that I’d sorely missed out on seeing first hand, the once in a lifetime event it most probably was. So when I had a call from the Financial Times asking me to go and take pictures of a real life Olympian I was delighted, and a few days later I was sent to a farm in the middle of Dorset to meet double-trap shooter and gold medallist Peter Wilson.
The job consisted of me observing Peter showing the writer Jeremy Taylor around the Bisley shooting ground, and teaching him how improve his skills with a single-bore shotgun. I was also given a few tips, given the accuracy of my first few attempts with the rifle. I did however come away with the knowledge that I am left-eye dominant, something I’d have never otherwise discovered, and this has improved my shooting dramatically (with a gun, not a camera).
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It was quite something to watch an olympian at the absolute peak of their ability, not missing a shot whilst casually explaining the process of load, aim, fire and reload as he must have done thousands (or millions?) of times before. The scatter of bright orange clay shell fragments were testament to just how many hours practice go into achieving the weighty gold medal that Peter kindly let me put round my neck for the obligatory photo. No I’m not uploading it. I did discover, however, just how bizarrely people behave when olympians allow people to hold their medals. I apparently ranked in the normal list, but it turns out some people take to licking it in a superstitious attempt to absorb good luck.
So in general it was a good day out. I learnt how to fire a gun properly, I got to wear a medal, and I had finally got my dose of the London Olympics, albeit in the middle of Dorset.
