They used live pigeons for some of the shooting events when Paris hosted the Olympics in 1900. Those poor birds were at least lucky enough to avoid the Nathan Hales era.
On Tuesday, for 50 minutes, this 28-year-old son of Kent was the coolest man in France. A killer without a pulse. A clay court matador, a record breaker and, ultimately, the bearer of an immaculate gold medal atop the podium.
We may not always understand the nuances of what we see as the Games approach, but excellence has a way of standing out like an exploding red disc.
On a scorching day two hours south of Paris, Hales and his Beretta DT11 shotgun had demolished more than any other man in Olympic history on his way to victory in the trap final.
It was only when he managed to knock down 48 of the 50 thrown around him that he even allowed himself a smile.
Nathan Hales added another gold medal to Team GB’s haul by winning the men’s clay pigeon shooting event
On a scorching day two hours south of Paris, Hales and his Beretta DT11 shotgun had demolished more than any man in Olympic history.
Hales (right) was the coolest man at the Chateauroux shooting range on a day when temperatures topped 35 degrees.
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“I’m very happy to achieve an Olympic record and also to win the Olympic Games,” he said.
‘Being in this position is something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid, since I started filming with my family. It was always a dream of mine, so to be able to come here and actually see it through to the end is absolutely unreal.
“I try to keep everything as usual and treat it exactly the same way I treat finals in training. I just try hard and focus on what I’m doing, not on what the other athletes are doing.”
Had he looked anywhere, he would have seen a procession of shattered spirits as, one by one, five men fell in pursuit, the last of whom was Qi Ying of China.
Where they missed, where they felt the pressure of the occasion and the sweat of a 35-degree afternoon on their hands, Hales simply continued with his routine of shooting, hitting, reloading, shooting, hitting, reloading. Over and over again until the grass of the Chateauroux shooting range was covered in red dust.
Before these Games, the Olympic record was 43. Qi managed 44 and was tied at 33, so we can’t say this was a gift by any stretch. But Hales, even without an individual world title to her name, is a big beast on this stage. Her world record of 49, set a year ago almost precisely, told us laymen that much.
Here, in her Olympic debut, she proved that those talents can translate into moments of greater pressure, and she did so in front of the kind of crowd that is foreign to her sport for all but a couple of hours of each four-year cycle.
Hales broke the Olympic record in her competitive debut by hitting 48 of 50 clay targets.
Hales became emotional after his win as he celebrated with his wife Charlotte Kerwood (left)
Hales fired his final 18 straight shots without missing a target as the competition fell.
At one point, he had reason to be nervous when he missed his 32nd shot, just his second mistake of the final. That allowed Qi to equalize, but where Hales grew, his opponent shrank from the opportunity. He missed two of his next three shots and Hales made his last 18 consecutive shots.
“It’s absolutely incredible to be on the BBC, I’m so happy that people at home can experience it,” he said, having marked the moment of victory by simply opening the barrel of his shotgun and gently puffing out his cheeks.
“I knew I had a couple of goals in reserve so that was a big comfort, but I try not to think about it and I didn’t miss a shot. It’s a fine line and it’s easy to cross it.”
On the biggest day of his career, falling never seemed like an option.
