Richard Faulds
Encyclopedia
Richard Bruce Faulds MBE
(born 15 May 1977 in Guildford
, Surrey), is an English sport shooter, who competed for Great Britain in the 2000 Summer Olympics
and won the men's double trap
.
Born into a family who then ran a stud farm in Sussex
, Faulds was then raised on the 300 acres (1.2 km²) family owned Owl's Lodge Farm in the Hampshire
village of Longparish
. On his tenth birthday, Faulds father Bruce bought him some shooting lessons, with Richard hitting 17 out of 25 clays in his first attempt. His father built him a range on the family farm, but just before finishing third in his first world junior championship, his PE
teacher said that his hand–eye co-ordination was very poor. It was discovered that Faulds suffered from a weak left eye, which was corrected by special dot-to-dot exercises with such good effect that he now shoots left-handed.
Faulds competed internationally for Britain at the age of 13, and was a world junior champion when he was 16. Three years later, Faulds competed in the 1996 Atlanta
Olympics finishing fifth, and became the 1997 European champion. After working at the West London Gun Club for three years as an instructor, Faulds became a fulltime shooter, and qualified for the 2000 Sydney
games after shooting a then double trap world record score at a World Cup meeting held again in Atlanta, Georgia
. Faulds shot a then Olympic record total of 143 in the preliminary round, and won his Olympic gold medal after a shoot-off at the Sydney International Shooting Centre, to become Britain’s first shooting gold medal-winner since Malcolm Cooper
in 1988.
At the 2004 Athens
Olympics, Faulds came 13th in the double trap
event, losing his title to Ahmed Al Maktoum from the United Arab Emirates
.
Faulds and his wife Tanya (also a shooter) live in the Meon Valley
along with their young son, Charlie.
In 2010 Richard and Tanya opened Owls Lodge Shooting School near Barton Stacey
. The ground contains Sporting
, Olympic trap
, Double trap
, Olympic skeet
, Universal trench and Down-The-Line
layouts.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(born 15 May 1977 in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, Surrey), is an English sport shooter, who competed for Great Britain in the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
and won the men's double trap
Double Trap
Double trap is a clay pigeon shooting sport, one of the ISSF shooting events. Participants use a shotgun to attempt to break a clay disk flung away from the shooter at high speed....
.
Born into a family who then ran a stud farm in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, Faulds was then raised on the 300 acres (1.2 km²) family owned Owl's Lodge Farm in the Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
village of Longparish
Longparish
Longparish is a small village in Hampshire, England. It lies on the western bank of the River Test.A Victorian monument, Dead Man's Plack, stands nearby.-External links:* * *...
. On his tenth birthday, Faulds father Bruce bought him some shooting lessons, with Richard hitting 17 out of 25 clays in his first attempt. His father built him a range on the family farm, but just before finishing third in his first world junior championship, his PE
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
teacher said that his hand–eye co-ordination was very poor. It was discovered that Faulds suffered from a weak left eye, which was corrected by special dot-to-dot exercises with such good effect that he now shoots left-handed.
Faulds competed internationally for Britain at the age of 13, and was a world junior champion when he was 16. Three years later, Faulds competed in the 1996 Atlanta
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
Olympics finishing fifth, and became the 1997 European champion. After working at the West London Gun Club for three years as an instructor, Faulds became a fulltime shooter, and qualified for the 2000 Sydney
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
games after shooting a then double trap world record score at a World Cup meeting held again in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Faulds shot a then Olympic record total of 143 in the preliminary round, and won his Olympic gold medal after a shoot-off at the Sydney International Shooting Centre, to become Britain’s first shooting gold medal-winner since Malcolm Cooper
Malcolm Cooper
Malcolm Douglas Cooper, MBE, was a British sport shooter and founder of Accuracy International. , he is the only shooter to win defend the gold medal in the Olympic 50 metre rifle three positions event....
in 1988.
At the 2004 Athens
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
Olympics, Faulds came 13th in the double trap
Shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's Double Trap
The men's double trap competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held on August 17 at the Markópoulo Olympic Shooting Centre near Athens, Greece...
event, losing his title to Ahmed Al Maktoum from the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
Faulds and his wife Tanya (also a shooter) live in the Meon Valley
River Meon
The River Meon is a river that flows through an area of Hampshire in southern England known as the Meon Valley, it flows generally southwards from the South Downs to the Solent. For most of its route it is a chalk stream, with a length of 21 miles .The River Meon rises approximately...
along with their young son, Charlie.
In 2010 Richard and Tanya opened Owls Lodge Shooting School near Barton Stacey
Barton Stacey
Barton Stacey is a village and civil parish in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England, situated about seven miles south-east of Andover.-Civil Parish:The total area of the civil parish is 5,027 acres ....
. The ground contains Sporting
Sporting Clays
Sporting clays is a form of clay pigeon shooting, often described as "golf with a shotgun" because a typical course includes from 10 to 15 different shooting stations laid out over natural terrain...
, Olympic trap
Olympic Trap
Officially referred to only as trap, and also known in the United States as international trap, bunker trap, trench or international clay pigeon, the single-target Olympic trap shooting event has a history over a hundred years old...
, Double trap
Double Trap
Double trap is a clay pigeon shooting sport, one of the ISSF shooting events. Participants use a shotgun to attempt to break a clay disk flung away from the shooter at high speed....
, Olympic skeet
Olympic Skeet
Skeet is a variant of skeet shooting, and the specific variant used in the Olympic Games. Two throwing machines at different heights launch a series of 25 targets in a specific order, some as singles and some as doubles, with the shooter having a fixed position between them. Men's competitions...
, Universal trench and Down-The-Line
Down-The-Line
Down-the-line clay pigeon shooting is a variation of trap shooting which is very popular in Australia, New Zealand , South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland....
layouts.
Olympic results
| Event | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double trap Double Trap Double trap is a clay pigeon shooting sport, one of the ISSF shooting events. Participants use a shotgun to attempt to break a clay disk flung away from the shooter at high speed.... |
5th Shooting at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Men's double trap Men's double trap shooting made its first appearance at the 1996 Summer Olympics, with Russell Mark becoming the inaugural champion after a strong final. Albano Pera and Zhang Bing won the other medals after a shoot-off with Park Chul-sung.-Qualification round:... 139+41 |
Gold Shooting at the 2000 Summer Olympics - Men's double trap -Qualification round:The qualification round consisted of 25 doubles in the A programme, 25 in the B programme, and 25 in the C programme.OR Olympic record – Q Qualified for final- Final :... 141+46 |
13th Shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's Double Trap The men's double trap competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held on August 17 at the Markópoulo Olympic Shooting Centre near Athens, Greece... 130 |
6th 137+43 |
Records
| Current world records held in Double Trap Double Trap Double trap is a clay pigeon shooting sport, one of the ISSF shooting events. Participants use a shotgun to attempt to break a clay disk flung away from the shooter at high speed.... |
|---|
| Men |
External links
- Richard Faulds profile at the British Olympic AssociationBritish Olympic AssociationThe British Olympic Association is the national Olympic committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It was formed in 1905 in the House of Commons, and at that time consisted of seven national governing body members from the following sports: fencing, life-saving, cycling, skating, rowing,...
- Richard Faulds profile at BBC Hampshire