Between Shopfloor & World Championship
When the machines in the factory are roaring, no-one is thinking about world championships. The focus is on conveyor belts, bearings, hydraulic lines, production figures and on machines that have to work. In the midst of this world of steel, lubricating oil, and safety boots, Xavier Russell from Shepparton keeps the production lines running. Just a few weeks later, the 24-year-old travels around the world to take on world-class shooters at international shotgun competitions.
His competitors’ advantage isn’t talent. It’s the opportunity to train. While many top international shooters can hone their skills almost daily, most shooting ranges in Australia are open only a few days a month. “If I want to shoot after work, my training starts with setting up the clay machines before I can even begin,” Xavier explains. By the time the first clay targets rise into the evening sky, the sun is often already low. But that doesn’t stop the 24-year-old from pursuing his dream: a world championship title!
Early start
His grandfather took Xavier to the shooting range for the first time when he was 12 years old. They went once a month. Then once a fortnight. Soon, competitions were on the calendar. Occasional outings turned into weekends filled with the smell of gunpowder and the shattering of clay targets. “I enjoyed it right from the start, the shooting and the challenge of achieving a perfect round,” says Xavier, explaining his enthusiasm for the sport.
He set a goal for himself early on: a spot on the national team. “Since sporting isn’t an Olympic discipline, it was only logical to focus on that,” Xavier says. In 2019, he represented Australia for the first time as a junior at the World Championship. He placed eleventh in the individual junior competition and won bronze with the Australian junior team. Since then, he has competed in the World Championships every year except during COVID restrictions; since moving up to the open class in 2023, he’s already secured a spot on the national team twice.
He keeps moving forward, step by step. Not spectacularly, but steadily. While others analyze a missed clay target like investigators at a crime scene, he moves on. A mistake, he says, is like sand in the gears: if you carry it with you, it’ll lead to another mistake at the next station. So, let it go. Onward. Next target. This mindset led him to his best international result to date this year: 15th place at the FITASC World Championships. A huge leap for someone whose previous best had been 32nd place.
Winners' strategy
The world’s best shooters see the same clay targets as everyone else; the difference is, they are experts at blocking out their surroundings and focusing all their attention on the target. Xavier aims to follow a similar path, minimizing distractions as much as possible.
“At the world championships, I head to the shooting range an hour before the start and usually return directly to the hotel after shooting the 50 targets.” That doesn’t mean the 24-year-old is a recluse, though. Quite the opposite. “I love the competition, the community, and I’ve made many friends through the sport,” says the Australian. He’s already looking forward to the coming weeks, which will bring him three major competitions in Italy, the UK, and the US — where he’ll once again focus on every single clay target and, he hopes, move closer to his goal of a world championship title with his FBX.
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