Launceston shooting star Bailey Groves faces an uphill battle to qualify for a maiden Olympics after being overpowered by the country's long-time heavyweight at the weekend.
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Competing in a nomination event in Brisbane, the 22-year-old finished runner-up to three-time Olympian and three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Daniel Repacholi in the men's 10m air pistol.
Qualifying for the final six shots behind his New South Wales counterpart (569) with a score of 563, Groves was unable to turn the tables in the final.
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Repacholi shot 240.1 points to finish well clear of The Examiner's 2015 Junior Sports Award winner Groves (234.5), with Western Australia's Mike Giustiniano (211.9) cropping up even further back.
The 37-year-old said he was desperate to medal in Tokyo after missing the podium in each of his three previous attempts and is still looking to improve on his strong weekend form.
"I'm not spending all this time away from my beautiful wife and kids just to get another tracksuit," Repacholi said.
"I've got enough of them. I want to win and stand on the dais.
"I got away to a good start ... but the last few shots weren't what I was after."
The pair will meet again in two more nomination events (Brisbane between March 5-8 and Sydney between March 18-22) before the Australian team is announced late next month.
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