Hunter shooter Dan Repacholi is expected to be named in the Australian team for the Rio Olympics on Wednesday.
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The Nulkaba 33-year-old won two gold medals and shot qualifying scores at the Australia Cup 2 event in Sydney on the weekend.
Those efforts, combined with previous performances including an eighth at a World Cup meet in Bangkok last week, have him on target to compete at his fourth and final Games in both the men’s 10 and 50 metre air pistol.
”It’s very exciting, but the best thing is I’m shooting really well,” Repacholi said.
“Traveling between Thailand and Australia meant the last week or so has been really busy, but it has definitely been worthwhile.”
Repacholi and Port Stephens-based two-time Games gold medallist Michael Diamond are tipped this week to earn automatic nominations from the Australian Olympic Committee alongside Paul Adams.
An official announcement on Adams was released on Monday after winning the men’s skeet at the Australia Cup 2 competition in the state capital on Sunday.
The men’s trap in Sydney was taken out by Diamond, the Fingal Bay resident who clinched back-to-back Olympic gold in 1996 and 2000.
Repacholi claimed both of his sections on the weekend with fellow Coalfields competitor Blake Blackburn second in the 10m air pistol.
A score of 202.1 put Repacholi ahead of Blackburn’s 198.
In the longer 50m distance Repacholi shot 195.6, which would have seen take out the international competition last week as well.
“I only shot 190 in the final in Bangkok on Friday, which was a little disappointing,” he said.
“But I shot 196 in Sydney on Sunday and if I did that last week I would have won the final easily.”
The two-time Commonwealth champion has quite a hectic schedule in the lead up to Rio in August.
This weekend he heads south for the Victorian state titles followed by a trip to Perth at Easter for the nationals.
He then returns to Sydney for a training camp in April before attending World Cup events in Rio, Germany and Azerbaijan.
More training camps follow both at home and overseas before departing for Brazil on July 29.
“I knew what I was getting myself into but that’s alright,” he said.
“I’m really enjoying it and this is my last Olympic Games so I want to give it everything I’ve got.”
Repacholi first competed at the Olympics in 2004 and has represented Australia at each Games since.
His best finishes were in London four years ago – 19th in the 50m air pistol and 28th in the 10m air pistol.
