Nathan Milgate overcame a nervous start to finish eighth in the air rifle final on his Paralympic Games debut in Beijing.

Milgate battled back from a shaky opening to the qualifying round to shoot 686.9 from all seven rounds of the R1 10m event.

The 21-year-old from Herne Bay said: "I had a couple of dodgy shots at the beginning but it was better at the end."

However after a few reassuring words from his coach, Milgate made the final with 587 and settled down to relish the experience of competing at the Chinese capital’s Shooting Hall Range.

"It was a very nerve-wracking experience, probably the most nerve-wracking I have had," he said. "But at the same time it was great to make the final and I enjoyed it a lot."

He scored 99.9 in the 10-shot final with the gold won by Sweden’s Jonas Jacobsson with a world and Paralympic record of 596.