Natalie Foss hopes to continue her form into the junior world champs. Photo: Supplied
Aria shooter Natalie Foss has capped off her final junior world championships campaign in Germany with a solid performance against the best young trap-shooters in the world.
The 21-year-old competed in the junior women’s trap-shooting event at the ISSF Junior World Championships in Suhl and finished 19th in qualifying with a score of 110/125.
Natalie Foss hopes to continue her form into the junior world champs. Photo: Supplied
Foss opened her campaign with rounds of 22, 20, 22, 22 and 24 to finish just outside the final shoot-off – 114 targets was enough to progress to the final.
Italy’s Valentina Archetti claimed the junior world title after winning the final with 28/30 targets, while Eleonora Ibragimova (25/30) and Kseniia Samofalova (20/30) finished second and third under the ‘Individual Neutral Athlete’ because shooting for their native Russia wasn’t allowed.
For Foss, the championships marked her third and final appearance at the junior worlds, following campaigns in Croatia in 2022 and Peru in 2024.
She also competed in the junior mixed team trap event alongside fellow New Zealand shooter James Sullivan and finished 14th in qualifying.
The pair combined for a qualifying score of 65 after rounds of 23, 21 and 21, before shooting a combined 72 in the second stage with scores of 25, 24 and 23.
The Germany trip followed a remarkable period for Foss, who arrived at the championships after winning the 2026 Universal Trench Ladies World Championship in Melbourne this year.
Foss produced a personal-best score of 190/200 to claim the biggest victory of her career, adding to a strong run of results across NZ and international competition.
The former Aria School and Piopio College student had spent much of her preparation for Germany travelling to Timaru to train on a trench range with support from Olympic silver medallist Natalie Rooney, while also balancing the final year of her commerce degree in Christchurch.
