Renae Jones is a shooter who was awarded a Tier 3 Scholarship within the 2022 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program.
Renae was born in East Gippsland, Victoria, in 2003, and at 12 years of age began recreational shooting at the Bairnsdale Field and Game Club. However, shooting was not her first love.
Renae played libero for the Victorian U/15 Volleyball team and she was adamant that she did not want to be a competitive shooter. Instead, she was content to watch her father and sister compete. That changed in 2017 when she entered her first Down-The-Line Clay Pigeon Shooting competition, and she was hooked.
Only a year later, she competed in the ISSF Nationals in Olympic Trap and was invited to join the Gippsland Sports Academy and train under Olympic legend and SAHOF Member Russel Mark OAM. Under the guidance of Russell and her father, Renae represented Australia for the first time at the Junior World Championships in 2019, and then placed 10th at the Junior World Cup in Germany. In the same year, she set a new Oceania Record on her way to a gold medal at the Oceania Championships.
Success continued in 2020 and she finished fourth at the selection trials for the Tokyo Olympic Games, while earning the number one ranking for Australian juniors, and number five at national senior level.
After coming so close to Olympic selection in 2020, Renae has Paris 2024 in her sights and would love to represent her nation in Trap Shooting.
“I am extremely honoured to receive this Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship because there have been so many insanely talented and inspiring athletes that have also received this prestigious award. This Scholarship means a lot as it is recognises the dedication and hard work that I have committed to my sport over the past five years. Covid-19 has proved a challenge by preventing competition and training at times however, this recognition inspires me to continue working hard. The Scholarship will assist with many training and competition expenses as well as help fund international travel so I can gain more experience on the world stage. Thank you for this opportunity and congratulations to the other recipients.” – Renae Jones on being selected as a 2022 Tier 3 Scholarship Holder.
Achievements
- 2019: Junior World Cup, Suhl, Germany – 10th
- 2019: Oceania Championships – gold, Women’s Team and Women’s Team Oceania Record
- 2019: Junior World Championships, Lonato, Italy – Australian Representative
- 2020: Australian Tokyo Olympic Selections – 4th
- 2021: Victorian ISSF State Titles – silver
- 2021: Victorian Institute of Sport Future Talent Program – inducted
- 2022: Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship Holder – Tier 3
