BINFIELD shooter Amber Hill says being selected to represent Team GB at next summer’s Olympics Games is a dream come true.
Hill, 18, was named among the six selected athletes in her sport to compete in Rio de Janeiro next year earlier this week and will shoot alongside British team-mate Elena Allen in the women’s skeet.
The former pupil at Claires Court School in Maidenhead was widely expected to make the cut having won gold at this year’s European Games in Baku and also sitting top of the world rankings.
And she could not hide her excitement at the announcement.
“It’s been a dream for a few years now,” she told The Wokingham Paper.
“But the fact that it’s all confirmed and actually happening is just amazing.
“All the effort and sacrifices that I’ve had to make in the last few years, I definitely think have all paid off now.
“This is the reason why I do it. It’s been my dream.
“The fact that I’ve made these sacrifices and that I’ve got a result at the end of it, that I am actually going to the Olympics, is fantastic and I really can’t wait to get out there.”
This selection has been eight years in the making for Hill, who first started shooting with her grandad when she was aged just 10.
And while it is not considered a mainstream sport, the teenager admits she was hooked right from the start.
“I was really sporty throughout school,” she continued.
“I did all the normal sort of girly sports like netball and hockey. I even managed to get to county hockey when I was in year 8.
“I then decided I would go shooting with my grandad when I was 10 years old and I just fell in love with it.
“It was just the adrenaline rush that I got from it and it was just completely different and no-one had heard of it so I thought why not see where it can take me.”
Where it took Hill was to numerous titles and broken records, including the youngest
ever skeet World Cup gold medalist, but she admits one prize in particular brought her widespread recognition.
“There was a lot of media and publicity put on me after winning BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2013.
“It was just an amazing opportunity and experience that I got to have.
“I know my dad and he used to watch it every year as a young boy and he’s so passionate about it and to see me getting up on that stage, for my friends and family as well it was a really proud moment.”
But Hill, who trains at EJ Churchill in High Wycombe, does not have her schedule completely filled up with her sport.
Despite considering herself a full-time shooter, Hill will also be on the panel to decide this year’s Young Sports Personality of the Year and is in the process of training to be a beauty therapist at The Beauty Academy in Reading.
However, the main focus is on the Olympics and Hill admits she is already eager to get to Brazil.
“Rio is somewhere I’d really wanted to go but never had the opportunity,” she explained.
“I really can’t wait to get out there and see what it’s like because I’m really unsure of what to expect.
“I’ve got the Rio testing event in April so we’ll be able to test the grounds and see what everything’s like and get used to the environment out there before we go back for the Olympics.”
Peter Wilson won gold for GB at London 2012, but Hill is aiming to become the first woman to stand on top of the Olympic podium.
“I’m doing everything in my power to make it happen,” she said.
“I’m putting in the hours and as long as I do my best, I’ll be happy.”
