Jennifer McIntosh and Kay Copland picked up Scotland’s second bronze medal of the 2010 Games, in a tense session at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. The pair competed together in the 50m three position event in humid Delhi conditions, finishing third behind Singapore and India.

The results came down to the final shot of the competition with Kay; the sole remaining shooter on the range, needing a ten to secure silver for Scotland. A ten would have moved the pair level with India on points, but would have been enough to take them ahead due to their higher inner ten score, however she scored a nine and they had to settle for bronze.

After picking up her first Commonwealth Games medal Jen, 19 said: “I’m obviously delighted to have won a medal, though it’s a bit disappointing to come away with bronze rather than silver or gold. It’s tough, particularly when it came down to that last point.”

Kay added: “I’m really happy with the result. I had no idea it was so close, but it’s a great feeling to come away with a medal.”

McIntosh was one of the first shooters to complete all three positions, leaving her with the unenviable task of watching her partner finish. It was a tense half hour with the medal places changing after almost every shot.

“It was absolutely terrifying watching Kay shoot that last sequence”, said Jen. “It’s always the worst part for me”. Despite being alone in action, Kay was aware that there could be a lot riding on her last few points: “It was running through my head that there could be just a few points between gold; silver, bronze and fourth, but I was trying not to think about it too much. The thought of it maybe just got a bit too much today for my last shot.”

Shooting is predominantly an individual sport, so the opportunity to compete alongside compatriots is a rarity. The girls will face one another in the both the 50m prone and 3 position singles events, but say that their rivalry is confined to the range.

“Me and Jen are good friends”, says Copland. “We make sure that what happens on the range, stays on the range. The minute we walk off it all goes back to normal and there’s no competition between us.”

Jen’s dad and coach, Donald McIntosh was proud of the pair’s performance, saying: “It was a pretty tough day and the scores are actually pretty low. The girls fought well through the wind and came away with a medal which is great. There was the pressure of the occasion to deal with as well and a level of expectation about medals. There was plenty of adrenaline flowing between the two of them today.”

Both Jen and Kay will be back in action on Thursday in the 50m 3P singles event.