A WHIRLWIND few weeks is only now starting to sink in for James Willett.
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The 20-year-old returned to Australia earlier this week after finishing fifth in the men’s double-trap shooting event at the Rio Olympics.
Willett spoke to a appreciative crowd during a homecoming ceremony in Corowa on Sunday morning.
The rising star of the shooting world claimed an Olympic record on the qualifying rounds of his event, despite it just being his first ever Games.
But Willett said getting a taste of the action on the world’s biggest stages had only motivated him to go on to bigger and better things.
“Things have been flat-out since I got back, I’ve had a lot of friends and family coming to see me,” he said.
“It was good to come down to Corowa and see the community that supported me.
“I’ve been getting back to reality a little bit, doing some work out on our property.
“It’s still sinking in a little bit, having been trying to get there for so long and it’s come and gone all of a sudden.
“I know I’ve got a long career ahead of me, the guy who won the gold medal is 49 years old.
“Getting that close just drives you that little bit more.
“I’m looking forward to the Commonwealth Games now, then hopefully the next Olympics in Tokyo.”
While thankful to enjoy the local support on Sunday morning, Willett said he was lucky to have a friendly face to talk to in Corowa golfer Marcus Fraser while in Rio.
“I was able to watch (Mansfield shooter) Catherine Skinner win gold before my shoot, it was good to get along and support the rest of the shooting team,” he said.
“Marcus came and watched me shoot, we spoke in the first few days and I watched him play, it was the first time I’ve watched a round of golf in my life.
“It was good to see some other sports that you usually see on TV or not at all, like the weightlifting, waterpolo and diving.”
With the excitement of the Games behind him, Willett was taking a short but well-deserved break before his next big challenge – the ISSF World Cup in Rome.
“I’ll start training a bit more again leading into the World Cup,” Willett said.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to finish the year on a high note and start getting myself ready for another big season in 2017.
“There’s only 12 of us in the World Cup final, it’s going to be a massive event.”
Willett will fly out for the event late in October.
It’s been a huge 12 months for the 20-year-old from Mulwala.
Not only did he set the Olympic record, but he entered the Games as the world number one ranked double trap shooter.
He also holds the world junior record.