Skelhon hopes to recover from 'challenging' Tokyo

After contemplating retirement following Tokyo 2020, British shooter Matt Skelhon says he is now in a good place as he prepares for his fifth Paralympics.

The 39-year-old forms part of an experienced four-strong GB team for Paris along with Ryan Cockbill, who will be taking part in his fourth Games, and Tim Jeffrey and Issy Bailey who will both be making their third appearance with the shooting events due to take place from 30 August-5 September.

Skelhon, who won gold on his Paralympic debut in Beijing in 2008 and also has silver and bronze medals from London 2012, failed to make the final of both of his events in Japan, leaving him questioning his future.

"Tokyo was a big challenge for me and I didn’t cope with the preparation and the Games themselves well at all," he told BBC Sport.

"At that time I wondered if it would be my last Games but I didn’t want to finish in that way so I pushed on and trained hard and smart and now I am in a really good place and very happy with how things have turned around.

"I have a new team and coaches around me and it is really good. It will be amazing to be back to normal in Paris and have the feeling of a proper Games."

The rifle shooter will compete in two events at the National Shooting Centre in Chateauroux - the R3 10m air rifle prone, which is shot indoors, and the R6 50m rifle prone, which takes place outdoors and is the event where he is both European and world champion.

On a 10m target, the central 10 section is only half a millimetre wide and then divided into 10 further scoring sectors, each scoring 0.1 so the difference between winning and losing can come down to the tiniest of margins.

It means Skelhon and his team-mates are constantly working on both the physical and mental side of their sport to try to stay ahead of their rivals and win Britain’s first medal in the sport since London.

"Nobody is ever perfect, there are always ways to improve,” he said. “I just enjoy trying to get a little bit better.

"You have to be focused and mentally strong because any kind of movement in the gun makes it harder. If you can’t keep a check on your nerves then that can really throw a spanner in the works.

"It has got harder over the years with the pressure I put on myself and the pressure I perceive, but which probably isn’t there, but I have more knowledge and experience now.

"I know I haven’t won a medal for a couple of Games but I’m not going to put any more pressure on myself this time. I just need to be confident in my preparation going in and rely on my skills and as long as I do everything I can, I will be happy."