Olympic double trap shooting gold medallist Peter Wilson has announced his retirement at the age of 28.
Wilson was Britain’s first gold medallist at the Olympics in shooting for 12 years when he won at London 2012 and also achieved a world record and reached world number one status over the course of his career.
Speaking to the BBC, Wilson said: “I would rather go out at the top and move on to the next challenge. I took some time off to collect my thoughts and sadly from that point of view I decided I am enjoying my time off far too much. The idea of getting back into competitive shooting wasn’t one that fitted in my life so I decided to call it time.”
His last appearance for British Shooting came at the Al Ain World Cup in 2013 when he sealed his third title.
Image by FieldsportsChannel TV
Wilson continued: “I was lucky enough to win a large competition last year and I just didn’t get the buzz I had in the past,” he said. “I do this because I love it, I love representing my country, I love winning and you therefore need to love training because you won’t win without training. That’s the part I’m struggling with.”
Wilson, who was made an MBE in 2012, added that he would no pursue other interests such as taking over the family farm, coaching promising shooter James Dedman and running a small business based around shooting.
Wilson concluded: “I’m sorry for leading people astray, but I’m happy with the decision I’ve made and I think I am heading in the right direction.”
Chief executive of British Shooting, Hamish McInnes, said: “Peter Wilson’s successes while representing British Shooting have been remarkable. His determination, dedication and attention to detail have made him a phenomenal athlete and we are proud that he represented our sport on the world stage. He may be stepping down from competitive shooting, but we look forward to continuing our relationship moving forward to ensure our sport continues to grow and become ever-more popular.”
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