The Perfect Streak

Rémy Durant shoots quickly, instinctively, and successfully. How did the Belgian become a top shotgun shooter?

50 out of 50. Rémy Durant still remembers that moment clearly at a World Championship in Hungary. He had just been chatting with friends when one of them said to him, “Rémy, I can tell you’re really in the zone.” Durant went to the shooting range, shot with ease, and hit the target. One clay after another. In the end, he achieved a perfect series: 50 hits out of 50 clay targets.

The memory has stayed with the now 34-year-old not just because of the result. “I especially remember things when I’m with friends, because every competition is different and you experience special moments together.” Rémy also emphasizes: “From a sporting perspective, it’s more about how you achieved that result. That weekend, I obviously had the right mindset.” Perhaps this episode says more about Rémy Durant than a list of titles and placings. For him, success begins in the mind.

It all started with his father
In the beginning, Durant Sr., himself a trap shooter, took Rémy to the shooting range and soon bought his son his own .410-caliber shotgun. With it, young Rémy was initially allowed to shoot at so-called “rabbits.” These are clay targets that roll across the ground, simulating the movement of a hare. He enjoyed it so much that at age 14 he started competing in the shotgun disciplines of Sportinig and Compact Sporting.

His choice of disciplines is also due to his second passion: hunting. Sporting and Compact Sporting, in particular, give him the opportunity to experience, even outside the relatively short hunting season, some of the thrill that fascinates him so much about small-game hunting. And, of course, he’s drawn to the competition. Just as important to him, however, are the travels and the friendships that have developed over the years through his involvement in shotgun sports.

Fast. Instinctive. Rémy.
Rémy competes in an average of ten competitions per year. Since the selection of events in his native Belgium is rather limited, many of his trips take him to northern France, the Netherlands, and Germany. Anyone who watches Durant shoot quickly recognizes a defining feature of his style: speed. “I actually shoot very fast. That’s something that sets me apart,” he says. Much of it happens intuitively. “Wherever my eyes go, my shotgun follows. Then I know I can shoot.”

He doesn’t have a specific role model in the sport – and that’s by design. He believes each shooter’s technique, personality, and style are too unique. Of course, he, too, watches closely how other good shooters approach certain clay targets. He adopts techniques, observes shooting stances, and picks up tips. But he doesn’t want to copy anyone. Rémy: “You have to develop your own style.”

Quality Over Quantity
Durant’s daily life is by no means entirely centered on shooting sports. Professionally, he works as a construction manager, overseeing the construction of apartment buildings and single-family homes. Taking several days off in a row for training is therefore hardly possible. Nevertheless, his goal is to visit the shooting range at least once a week.

For him, it’s not about the quantity. “I don’t actually shoot that much during training,” says Rémy. “I’m focused on high-quality clay targets.” Instead of firing as many shots as possible, he tries to simulate challenging competition situations as realistically as possible. That’s how he maintains a high level of performance throughout the season. Physical fitness is also an important part of his routine. A competition day can be long and demands concentration and endurance. But Rémy devotes at least as much attention to the mental side of his sport. He reads extensively about mental strength, reaction patterns, and coping with pressure. Because that’s exactly where he sees the real key. “For me, shooting is a battle against myself,” explains the affable Belgian.