SOMERSET shooter Ed Ling has dedicated his Olympic bronze medal to his family back in Wellington - but may be in for a shock on his return as his dad has started harvesting is corn.

The medal was the sharp shooter's first at the Olympics, having competed in Athens in 2004 and at London 2012 and he said it had been a 'long time coming'.

“I’m really pleased with the outcome. It’s been a long time coming," he said.

“It was nice to go straight from the shoot-off to the bronze medal match because you stay in the zone and stay focused on what is in front of you.

“I think this is great for shooting. It is also another medal for Team GB which is fantastic and hopefully there is a lot more to come.

“It was third time lucky for me (after Athens 2004 and London 2012) but shooting is a funny sport where sometimes you can go out there and things can go really well and other times you can't hit a barn door.

“It is a great sport and I really love it.

“My dad and my family are a huge influence on me and I am also delighted for them.

“They will be watching this back home and they will be absolutely thrilled so this is also for them."

Speaking from the family's farm in Wellington, Ling's family said they were "ecstatic".

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Dad Steven, who is his coach, said the 33-year-old had been in fine form in the run-up to this year's competition.

Surrounded by family members in celebratory mood, he told the Press Association: "It's really nail-biting but this is the pinnacle of it now - his first Olympic final and first Olympic medal.

"He's been shooting unbelievable for the last 14 months. Last year he won every single event he entered. He has just been phenomenal, his head is very, very strong."

Mr Ling said he, his wife Carol, son Theo, daughter Bev and his son's wife Abbey had cracked open a bottle of champagne on seeing his success, but not before some nerve-wracking viewing.

The 63-year-old said: "It's worse watching than it is actually pulling the trigger. Trust me, I'd rather be shooting than watching."

He said his son had been focused on Olympic success - but was also keen to make sure things were okay at home on the farm, and will probably return to the UK in the next few days.

He said: "I think he wants to come back to the farm and he wants to come back to the family.

"He generally does all the spraying, it's harvest time so we've got corn to cut and he will probably want to see his corn being cut. I've not told him the truth the last few days - we've been cutting corn.

"I think every day I have spoken to him in the morning or at night he said, 'What's the weather like, have you started yet?'. I've said, 'No, it's still raining'.

"I wanted him to be focused out there, not worrying about what's going on. It is very much a mental game."

Wesley Hann, 55, who runs the Brook Bank Clay Shooting Ground in Cheddar, where Ling has been training for around two decades, spoke of his pride at seeing him secure a medal.

He said: "We are really, really pleased - we watched it on a crappy old internet connection in Sicily but we are really pleased for him.

"I've known Ed since he was a child, he's always had a great talent for it and he's been able to capitalise on that. He's been very calm and very focused, he's not been like an erratic, temperamental lad.

"He's an excellent example of a sportsman, really, he could turn his hand to any type of shooting. A gifted chap - talented and a pleasure to shoot with."

He added: "I'm sure he's got the aptitude and the time to take the gold medal over the next 10 years. He doesn't like the heat so Rio was never the best place for him to perform."

The success came before Somerset rugby star Danielle Waterman, a member of the Team GB women's rugby sevens team, missed out on a medal.

The Minehead player scored a try but couldn't prevent the side losing to Canada in the bronze medal match.