Sutiya targets preparation as Olympic medal hype grows

The 30-year-old skeet shooter won a historic World Cup gold medal this month in San Marino to become the first Thai to claim two titles, following her Rio De Janeiro victory in May.

Those results make her a strong Thai medal prospect at the Olympics, which run from August 5 -21. The Rio extravaganza will mark Sutiya’s third appearance in the Games, following a fifth-place finish in Beijing’s 2008 edition and a failure to make the final eight in London four years’ ago.

The sharpshooter has, however, declined to name a medal target and is instead more concerned about arriving in Brazil with the best possible preparation.

“ I won’t focus on what [medal] I might end up with after the competition. The result is something beyond control of the athletes,” said Sutiya.

“What I can control is how intensively I train tomorrow or how much I can develop my fitness for the competition. Following my plan is the only thing I can control now, as well as trying to work hard in order to produce the best performance,” said Sutiya, who will become world No 1 next month.

“I have had some highs and lows in the last two Olympics, so this time I will try to enjoy the competition rather than anything else.