The event is the pinnacle of the discipline for sporting clay target shooters and, come July, Russell will be joining competitors from across the world in England in a bid to clinch a world title.
The 17-year-old qualified as one of three juniors in the Australian team after placing fifth at the FITASC Australian Grand Prix last weekend in Geelong.
But his qualifying process for the FITASC World Sporting Championship kicked off in October 2017 with state selection events — which consisted of 12 shoots across Victoria during an 11-month timeframe.
Russell ended up being overall points leader after those 12 events and made the Victorian team for the Sporting Clays Australia Sporting Nationals which was hosted in November at Laang, in Victoria’s south-west.
The dead-eye shooter claimed victory in the Sub-Junior (under-17) class at the nationals, and with his score from that meeting added together with the fifth-place achievement at the Grand Prix — now competing in under-21 — he qualified in third spot for the national junior team.
Russell revealed what he’d told one of his shooting mates after the Grand Prix was over, knowing that despite not making the podium, his spot with the national team was booked.
‘‘I’ve never been so happy not to win an event in my life,’’ he said.
After being introduced to shooting by his grandfather at age 12, Russell quickly fell in love with the sport and now shoots every weekend across the state.
The teenager’s dad David Russell recalled asking Xavier two years ago what his goals were, having taken up sporting clay target shooting.
‘‘He said, ‘I want to shoot for Australia at the World Championships’.’’
With the past couple of years having been dedicated to achieving that goal, knowing that he would be there in July was ‘‘very exciting’’.
The junior shooter is an ambassador for Outdoor Trading Company and credits the company’s owner Lee Berger as a major support and encouragement in his flourishing career.
In the lead-up to the FITASC World Sporting Championship, Russell’s competition schedule will include three other national championships in two different disciplines, and an international — the FITASC Oceania Championships — in Brisbane.
