Johnston fails to fire in the wind

Sally Johnston was unable to successfully defend her Commonwealth Games women’s 50m prone rifle crown today.

Johnston, 47, won the event impressively in Glasgow in 2014, but found conditions at the Belmont Shooting Centre not to her liking and finished 12^th in the field of 20. She was actually pipped by countrywoman Janet Hunt, who was 11^th.

Hunt’s sequence was 102.9, 101.9, 102.4, 101.4, 100.9, 98.7 for a total of 608.2.

Johnston managed 99.9, 100.0, 102.3, 102.6, 101.4, 101.6 for 607.8.

Johnston has had a long and successful career in the women’s 50m prone. She was a bronze medallist way back at Kuala Lumpur in 1998, missed the 2002 Manchester Games, and has been at every Games since.

She said she really struggled with the wind today.

“I got away to a very slow start and even when I got the hang of it, the decimal scores weren’t high enough,” she said. “I was clinging to the edge. It was a real struggle.”

Johnston said she did not have good memories of the Belmont range.

“I’ve been spanked on it before and I’ll probably be spanked there again. I never gave up today, but I really struggled to get to grips with it.”