Team GB’s Matt Coward-Holley claims bronze in the men’s trap final as world and European champion has to settle for third place on day six of the Tokyo Olympics
Matt Coward-Holley won Great Britain’s first medal of day six at Tokyo 2020 with a bronze in the men’s trap.
The dead-eye Essex hotshot had been hoping to be Team GB’s man with the golden gun after coming into the event as world and European champion.
But in a high-quality final at the Asaka Shooting Range, Coward-Holley had to settle for third place as Czech Jiri Liptak beat his countryman David Kostelecky in a dramatic shoot-off.
Matt Coward-Holley won Great Britain’s first medal of day six with a bronze in the men’s trap
The dead-eye Essex hotshot had been hoping to be Team GB ‘s man with the golden gun
Coward-Holley had to settle for third as Czech Jiri Liptak claimed the gold medal on Thursday
The 26-year-old only started to take the sport of shooting seriously when he had to stop playing rugby as a teenager after twice breaking his back.
But here in Tokyo, he emulated British shooter Edward Ling, who also won bronze in this event at Rio 2016.
Earlier in the day, Team GB’s Helen Glover missed out on a third Olympic gold medal in as many Games after finishing fourth in the women’s coxless pairs final with Polly Swann.
The Team GB duo started the race well but ultimately a lack of top speed cost the 35-year-old a comeback medal at the Tokyo Games alongside her 33-year-old team-mate.
Glover and Swann – who finished third in Wednesday’s semi-final – recorded a time of six minutes 54.96 seconds at the Sea Forest Waterway.
But they were beaten to the podium positions by gold medallists Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler from New Zealand, the Russian Olympic Committee, who won silver, and Canada duo Caileigh Filmer and Hillary Janssens claiming the bronze.
Liptak beat his countryman David Kostelecky in a dramatic shoot-off in the men’s trap final