Eighteen-year-old clay target sharpshooter Lachie Lovett is focusing on his future.
He is one of three named in the New Zealand Junior Worlds men’s team. The only South Islander.
Long term, he has an Olympic goal. But from this weekend he will compete in the down the line (DTL) clay target shooting at the New Zealand National Championships, followed by the World Shoot.
It’s 10 days of outdoor shooting at McLeans Island, near Christchurch; seven for nationals and three days shooting 100-targets-a-day for worlds.
“If you want to get somewhere in the event you have to shoot well,” he said.
“You know your shooting has to be on point.”
He is confident.
He knows the range and what to expect, seasoned from past events within New Zealand and internationally.
He has trained to stand for long periods of time and competed in weather ranging from rain to snow, and ankle deep in water.
It was as much a mental game as it was physical, he said.
Ahead of each shot, he followed the same routine.
He started with a dry hand, to begin his focus.
“Breathe in. Breathe out.
“Relax. And just call for the target,” he said, of his process.
“If you think about something else for a split second, you might miss the target.”
“For me to get in the zone for shooting…I put my earplugs in and don’t talk to anyone, just focus.”
“(It’s about) shutting off everything to just worry about one target at a time.”
In DTL, the trap is set 15-metres away.
It fires a target into the air at 70-72km/ph, which required a sharp eye.
“Training is just keeping the eye in. Shoot 25 targets, which is one round. Keeping your eye in for the competition.”
It’s also about training the mind to “focus on the shooting and nothing else”.
Lachie took up clay target shooting in year 9 while at Timaru Boys’ High School.
It took two years for him to move from C grade to B grade.
But only three months to advance to A grade.
Four months after that he was at AA grade.
Lachie, son of Hilary and Matt Lovett, now has an A grade rating.
He trains at the Ashburton range every weekend, fitting his training in with study through Ara Polytech.
He had high expectations when he took up clay target shooting.
He was following in his father’s footsteps. Matt was also a New Zealand representative.
Through the sport, Lachie has travelled to the United Kingdom and Australia.
He has been wearing the silver fern now since age 16 when in 2024 he was first named in the New Zealand Junior Team for Worlds.
That year, he was also in the New Zealand McIntosh Open Team.
It was a postal shoot against other countries and was made up of 25 team members.
The team placed second.
He has also represented Canterbury and competed at Oceania’s.
In 2025, he claimed top score for the New Zealand Junior McIntosh team and travelled to Perth to compete in the Glenn Cup.
It was one of the hardest teams to make, Lachie said.
“You have to make the top five out of the South Island and beat the North Island open team.”
The Kiwi team won the cup for the first time in seven years.
He enjoyed the travel experiences and the social side of the sport.
“It was good, especially at the world’s events. You get to see all the other teams.”
“They’re real friendly,” he said.
‘‘You can always have a good laugh with them after the competition, even though two of them are (competitors).
“You make good connections with other shooters.”
