Matthew James Skelhon[1] (born 30 October 1984) is a British sport shooter.[2] At the 2008 Summer Paralympics he won the gold medal in the SH1 10 metre prone air rifle event.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's shooting para sport | ||
Representing  Great Britain
| ||
| Summer Paralympic Games | ||
 |
2008 Beijing | Mixed 10 m air rifle prone SH1 |
 |
2012 London | Mixed 10 m air rifle prone SH1 |
 |
2012 London | Mixed 50 m air rifle prone SH1 |
| European Para Championships | ||
|
2023 Rotterdam | Mixed 10 m air rifle prone SH1 |
|
2023 Rotterdam | Mixed 10 m air rifle V1 prone SH-VI |
Life
editSkelhon lost the use of his legs following a car accident.[3] He competes in the SH1 Paralympic classification for pistol and rifle competitors that do not require a shooting stand.[4] He started shooting competitively when he joined the Disabled _target Shooting Association of Great Britain in April 2006 after discovering his talent at the WheelPower Inter Spinal Unit Games. Two months later he won a silver medal in the national championships.[5][6] He became a member of Whittlesey Rifle Club and was named as part of a four-man shooting squad for Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.[3]
At the Games Skelhon competed in two events; the men's standing air rifle and the mixed-sex prone air rifle. He finished 18th of 26 athletes in the qualification round of the standing air rifle and did not advance to the medal round.[7] In the qualification round of the prone air rifle Skelhon and Chinese shooter Zhang Cuiping each shot a perfect 600 out of 600 to equal the world record. In the 10-shot medal round Skelhon shot a further 104.9 for a total score of 704.9, enough to beat Zhang by half a point and win the gold medal.[7][8][9] On his return from the Games to his home village of Stilton Skelhon was greeted by more than 200 friends, relatives and fans lining streets decked with balloons and banners.[10] In December 2008 he was presented with the Outstanding Individual Achievement award at the 13th annual British Wheelchair Sports Awards.[6]
In 2009 he won a gold medal in the 10 m air rifle prone SH1 and a silver in 10 m air rifle standing SH1 at the Polish Open and four silver medals at the Wheelpower National Shooting Championship.[11][12] Competing alongside Nathan Milgate and Deanna Coates Skelhon took gold in the team 10 m air rifle prone SH1 at the 2010 World Cup event in Turkey. At the same event he won silver in the individual 10 m air rifle prone SH1 and bronze in the falling _target rifle SH1.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ GRO reference: November 1984, Vol. 9, p. 1861
- ^ "London 2012 launches Paralympic recruitment drive". The Independent. 3 December 2009. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Paralympics: Skelhon's mental strength will fire him to glory". The Evening Telegraph (Peterborough). 5 September 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ Andrew McGarry (3 September 2008). "Paralympics categories explained". ABC. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "Pupil has his sights set on Beijing paralympics success". The Evening Telegraph (Peterborough). 15 July 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ a b Gareth A. Davies (2 December 2008). "Britain's top wheelchair athletes from the Beijing Paralympics take top honours". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Matt Skelhon". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee.
- ^ Gareth A. Davies (11 September 2008). "Great Britain team saddle up for gold rush medal showdown with Chinese". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "Skelhon wins shooting gold for GB". BBC Sport. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "Village welcomes home golden shot Skelhon". The Evening Telegraph (Peterborough). 19 September 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "Shooting: Matt Skelhon strikes gold once again". The Evening Telegraph (Peterborough). 31 March 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "Four more medals for Stilton shooting star". The Evening Telegraph (Peterborough). 26 June 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "Skelhon wins a full set of World Cup medals". The Evening Telegraph (Peterborough). 7 May 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.