LIMA, Peru — Trysten Routledge could sense things were slipping away after missing both targets at the second station of the Pan Am Games men's skeet final on Saturday.
He lowered his shotgun, launched the hulls onto the ground and tried to stay positive as he prepared for the next station.
The six-man showdown in his first major multi-sport Games proved to be a much different beast than the qualification round. Routledge shot a personal best to reach his first international final but faded when scores mattered most, settling for sixth place.
Shooting for a potential Olympic quota spot also hung heavy on a breezy afternoon at Las Palmas Range. A podium appearance would have likely done the trick.
"That's quite a lot of pressure for an athlete," Routledge said. "Unfortunately I let it get to me."
The 23-year-old from Calgary was fourth in the 28-man field after shooting without a miss over three of five 25-shot qualification rounds. Routledge hit 11 of 20 targets in the final.
In skeet, competitors shoot at orange targets moving at 80 km/h — projectiles slightly larger than a drink coaster — that intersect over the field.
Athletes rotate through various shooting stations and have just a couple seconds to raise their gun to eye level, aim and fire, before focusing on the second target and shooting again.
American Christian Elliott won gold, Juan Schaeffer of Guatemala took silver and Peru's Nicolas Pacheco earned bronze.
"I came out and I shot a qualification score that would be (good for) a final at almost any event in the world, including the Olympics," he said. "I believe that this is the first of many situations in which that happens."
The U.S. had already secured spots for next year's Tokyo Olympics so Routledge needed to finish in the top two of non-American competitors. However, additional quota opportunities will be available at future world-level events.
The experience should serve as a solid building block for a young athlete who needs more reps at the sport's top level.
"I had my first day of qualification yesterday and I ran a perfect score," he said. "At that point I realized that I earned my place here and I deserve to be here.
"I shot with the best in the world and I was able to hang with them."
Team leader Sandra Honour said Routledge has the potential to be one of the strongest shooters Canada has had in over a decade.
"He's a very dedicated athlete and if he's got a weakness, he's trained it out of himself," she said. "He's very solid physically, he's technically strong, he's mentally strong.
"There's just nothing but good things for him ahead. No question about it."
Routledge first picked up the sport six years ago. He rented a gun at a Calgary club, was told he was a good shot, and enjoyed the experience.
"It sort of lit a fire in me I suppose," he said.
He competed in a variety of shooting disciplines while studying at the University of Tucson — earning degrees in microbiology and German studies — and made his World Cup debut in 2017.
"In the last probably three years he started to focus down on international skeet," Honour said. "He likes the challenge because shooting 25's is not easy in this game."
The turn-and-shoot skill is honed during regular training and consistent practice at home.
Athletes will often imagine they're in a competitive environment and work on the motion of raising their arms and pretending to shoot.
Routledge tries to schedule his classes in the morning before training for a few hours on the range in the afternoon. He works on his visualization technique every day.
"I usually do 100 mounts a day, regardless of whether I train that day or not," he said.
The native of Red Deer, Alta., will begin PhD studies in microbiology this fall at the University of Calgary.
"It's quite a balancing act," Routledge said. "Basically shooting is what I do for sport and for fun. So I have my schoolwork and then I go shooting.
"Shooting kind of acts as my entertainment and something that is part of my athletic career."
If vision and precision remain in top form, shooters can enjoy long runs at the elite level.
Earlier in the week, 48-year-old Curtis Wennberg of East St. Paul, Man., teamed with Amanda Chudoba Obrigewitch of Spruce Grove, Alta., to win bronze in the mixed team trap event.
It was Wennberg's first Pan Am medal since winning gold in Havana in 1991.
Both Canadians missed the eight-woman final in 25-metre pistol on Saturday. Calgary's Kimberly Britton was 22nd and Lea Wachowich of Strathmore, Alta., was 23rd.
In the mixed 10-metre air rifle team event, Christopher Baldwin of Aylmer, Ont., and Shannon Westlake of Barrie, Ont., were 18th. The top five teams qualified.
Saskatoon's Richard McBride finished tied for 10th in the skeet.
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Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
