COLES Laura

General
BUSINESS OWNER
She runs Hot Shots Shooting, a clay target shooting range in Perth, WA, Australia. She previously worked as an exercise physiologist, but left the occupation in 2014 in order to pursue shooting. "It's lot of fun being able to introduce people to a sport that I love. I think it taught me a lot about shooting and the way that we learn and our psychology when it comes to executing that type of skill." (Instagram profile, 04 Jul 2020; shootingaustralia.org, 28 May 2020; hotshotsshooting.com.au, 2020; Twitter profile, 24 Nov 2018; foxsports.com.au, 26 Jul 2014)

COACH
She is coached by her partner Nick Melanko, who previously served as her training partner. "He's my coach. He's my rock. He has been really a pillar of strength for me and I think he's made such a big difference with my performance. He's the massage therapist, he's the psychologist, he's the shoulder to cry on, everything wrapped up in the one person." (shootingaustralia.org, 28 May 2020)

RETIREMENT THOUGHTS
She considered retiring from the sport after missing out on selection for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She unsuccessfully appealed her non-selection, before deciding to continue shooting with a view to competing at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. "It was tough. But I never wanted my disappointments or my lows to define my career. If I was to stop shooting, I would want to stop it for the right reasons. I didn't want to look back and think what if I kept going, could I have done this. That's why I kept going. It took me quite a few years to get over that disappointment. I don't think I was quite over it by the time of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. I think that really showed in my performance [where she placed ninth in the skeet event]." (shootingaustralia.org, 28 May 2020; canberratimes.com.au, 22 Mar 2020; Shooting Australia Facebook page, 22 Mar 2020; gc2018.com, 01 Jan 2018; smh.com.au, 18 Apr 2016)