Allan Ritchie
Name Allan Ritchie
Hometown Aberdeen
Live Whitecairns
Occupation Oil Industry
Sport Shotgun
Events Olympic Trap
Classification Class 1 – Seated
Personal Bests World #1 – Class1 Seated – World Shooting Para Sport
World Record (joint) – Qual. 110/125
European Record – Qual. 110/125
European Record (joint) – Final 34/50
British Record (joint) – Qual. 112/125
Scottish Record – Qual. 112/125
Name of Club Auchterhouse
Coach Marco Micheli
When/how you got involved I began shooting in 2012 on return to Aberdeen, Scotland, from working abroad for several years. I found I had a natural talent for the sport and decided I would try to represent Scotland within Home International Competition. Unfortunately, a spinal cord injury prevented me from doing so and I have been dependent upon a wheelchair since December 2014. I took up clay shooting again from my wheelchair in 2016.
In April 2017 I learned the International Paralympic Committee had approved Olympic Trap as a test sport. This has been rebranded as Para Trap, but this is a change in name only. I moved from English Skeet, DTL and ABT to Olympic Trap and drove thousands of miles around Scotland and England to train/compete and was selected as first reserve for the GB Para Trap Team for the World Championship to be held in Lonato, Italy in September 2017. The rest is a work in progress….
Sporting Highlights I’m immensely proud to compete in a GB vest and have enjoyed some success, but the highlight for me is competing alongside the gutsiest people I have ever met. People who have faced death and hardship through illness, life changing injury, and resultant disability. It’s not stopped them; it’s made them stronger, inspirational, and I count myself lucky to call many of these extraordinary people my friend.
Sporting Goals and Aspirations To still be around when Para Trap is formally included within the Paralympics, and to represent Great Britain.
One bit of advice for an aspiring athlete Work hard, train hard, remain positive, remove negative, listen to your coach, rinse, repeat…..