Manx shooter Noah Mayne overcame some of the UK’s best rifle athletes to seal victory in the Olympic three position event at the 2026 British Shooting Pathway Open.
Taking place on Monday (August 31) at NSRA Aldersley in Wolverhampton, the format saw shooters fire in prone, kneeling and standing positions to achieve an overall score, aiming at ringed targets with higher values for smaller sections.
“When they announced that I’d won, I genuinely just said ‘what?!’. I couldn’t believe it,” Mayne explained.
“I certainly didn’t arrive expecting to be a champion, but I left as one.”
As It Happened
The manxman delivered a personal best qualifying score, easing through to the finals as the second best qualifier ahead of athletes currently training on the British Shooting Olympic Pathway.
This was despite the 21-year-old not having shot a 3P final since the Isle of Man Easter Shooting Festival, where he finished a fine 2nd.
The retained firefighter found himself in a surprise lead after the kneeling section of the final, after setting out with the modest goal of gaining championship experience.
A difficult prone position saw him drop back to third ahead of the standing discipline, one which Mayne has historically struggled with.
“Standing has always been the position I find most challenging,” he said.
“My main focus was simply staying calm, sticking to my process and taking each shot as it came.”
Mayne duly held his nerve, and the latest talent to emerge from St. Johns’ Sinclair Range held on to a podium position through the elimination stages, before outscoring the shooters holding 1st and 2nd to secure an emphatic win.
That Winning Feeling
This championship success marks an important step forward in Mayne’s development, and despite him continuing to progress both on and off island, it came as quite the pleasant surprise.
“I never went into the championship thinking I was going to win, that’s for sure. Especially with the extreme wind conditions that we had to deal with,” Mayne admitted.
“The whole event was incredible and, without doubt, one of the biggest moments of my shooting journey so far.
“To perform at taht level, alongside some of the best shooters in the UK, and come away with the win has given me a huge amount of confidence and is a massive moment for my shooting profile,” he added.
Next In His Sights
Despite scoring a breakthrough success at national level, there’s no sign of the prodigal rifleman resting on his laurels. The manxman now turns his attention to a qualifying campaign which, if successful, could take him as far as Ahmedabad, India.
“This event is also a good way for me to collect more scores for my portfolio, in the hope of attending the 2030 Commonwealth Games,” he confirms.
Mayne might’ve targeted multi-sport event success closer to home, however the controversial decision to omit shooting events from the 2029 Isle of Man Island games has forced many young guns from the island to look elsewhere in search of the next step on their journey to the top.
It Takes A Village
True to form for the Isle of Man, the talented shooter is far from alone in his pursuit of success. Coaches Stewart Watterson, Harry Creevy and Martin Lowe continue to play an instrumental part in ensuring Mayne receives the best possible coaching and guidance, while Isle of Man Steam Packet Company support his travel for off-island competitions.