Now that the long wait for the commencement of the xxix Olympiad is almost over, all eyes will move east to Beijing and tomorrows opening ceremony

One person who will not be participating in this ceremony however will be the ICPSA's own Derek Burnett for whom Friday 8th August 2008 will be the final day of preparation for his quest for Olympic success and he will be found at the Beijing Shooting Range CTF for the official practice session along with the rest of those athletes who will be competing in the Olympic Trap event.

Saturday 9th August will see the first shots fired in the Olympic Trap qualifying rounds at approx. 2am Irish time with each competitor completing 75 targets on day one.

Day two will also start at approx. 2am Irish time and when each competitor has completed a further 50 targets and the make up of the final is known, the final round of 25 targets which will decide the destination of this years medals is scheduled for approx. 8am Irish time.

We would like to wish Derek every success in the days ahead and we are sure that the capable hands of High Performance Programme Director Kevin Kilty and Professor Peter Terry will ensure that Derek is well positioned to "give it his best shot".

RTE has promised comprehensive coverage of the event and the programme schedule should be closely watched in the days ahead for further details and we will post any additional information if or when it becomes available.

5 Irish stars to follow in Beijing
Who's our best chance of a medal?

That’s the inevitable query from ‘Seosamh Public’ every time Ireland step into the Olympic Arena, no matter what the odds.

The truth is there are no clear medal contenders from Ireland’s team of 54 in Beijing, but, given the support structures now in place, there’s no excuse for not rising to the challenge any more. And of those who have the best chance of excelling in their widely-differing fields,

here’s five Irish whose progress should definitely be worth following over the next fortnight.

DEREK BURNETT (38)

Trap Shooting

Burnett’s first competition, aged 11, was, almost literally, a turkey-shoot! It was around Christmas, Dustin’s cousins were the prizes and, following his father into shooting, he was the youngest competitor by about 39 years.

He didn’t specialise in trap (clay-pigeon) shooting until seeing it in the Atlanta Olympics, and, in a sport that doesn’t ‘look good on TV’, is Ireland’s most invisible worldclass athlete.

In 2002, when he was part of the Irish team who’d won team gold at the World Championships, he was thrilled to see an RTE crew to greet them in Dublin airport’s arrivals hall, only to discover they had come to film some returning Irish dancers!

A former electronics engineer from Longford, who set up his own business selling sports ammunition after Sydney to allow him more time to train, Burnett’s easy-going demeanour belies his international status.

He trains between Ireland and Italy, which has ideal shooting conditions and more shooting centres than Dublin has golf courses.

He’s been ranked top five in the world, has won silver and bronze at World Cup competitions and in Athens, where he finished joint seventh, he missed a place in the top six final by just two clays. The margins are minuscule, but he’ll be there or thereabouts.