PARALYMPICS LONDON 2012: British marksman Skelhon strikes surprise bronze in air rifle

By Sportsbeat staff, London 2012

GREAT Britain's Matt Skelhon said he had let his shooting do the talking after claiming his second medal of the Paralympics Games, a bronze in the R6 50m rifle prone.

ON TARGET: Matt Skelhon added silver to the bronze he won earlier in the Games in shooting's rifle prone event at the London 2012 Paralympics (onEdition)

Skelhon scored 693.2 in total to finish third in the mixed event, a discipline he only took up 18 months ago. 

And he only missed silver by 1.4 after just scraping into the eight-strong final in seventh place from the earlier qualifying round.

Skelhon, who won silver earlier in the Games, cut a striking figure four years ago when he won gold in Beijing wearing a bright Mohican haircut. 

Now sporting a more conventional style, he couldn’t find the words to express his surprise at pulling off a second medal-winning performance.

“I am speechless,” he said. “I can’t actually believe it at the minute. It’s amazing.

"I came here to win the prone and came away with a silver but I shot personal best and it was a phenomenal competition.

"Now I have got another medal and I'm over the moon with today and dead chuffed to get two medals.

"The first ten shots I messed up and then I gave myself a talking to. I had a couple of shots that I messed up and without them I could have got to the finals in a more comfortable position.

"In the final I didn’t look at the scores until half way through. I knew that I was back in seventh at the start and I just wanted to focus on my own shooting.

“I heard all the cheers so I knew I must be doing well and when I looked I saw I was in third. 

“I’m never going to be disappointed with that. No one should be disappointed at the Paralympics."

© Sportsbeat 2012