Victorian shooter Penny Smith began her quest for an Olympic Games debut with a bang on Thursday, winning the junior women's trap title at the Qatar Open.
The 18-year-old overcame windy conditions and a quality international field to clinch the gold medal on 64 targets.
It is a major improvement on last year's event, where she missed the finals after finishing seventh.
The victory puts Smith in a strong position going into an important year to gain world-class experience ahead of the 2016 Rio Games.
Four Australians finished in the top 16 of the women's trap events, led by Victoria's Catherine Skinner in seventh after a shoot-off for the finals.
A number of others remain in contention for the final men's and junior men's trap events, with another Victorian - Josh Collard - the best-placed senior.
