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World Long Range Championship…MahendraPersaud is top Caribbean shot at 121; Australian Ben Emms crowned world champ
By Franklin Wilson at Camp Perry, Ohio, USA
compliments of NAMILCO, Ringbang, Fazias Collection,
Crown Mining Supply and Queensway
Guyana’s Mahendra Persaud kept the Caribbean flag flying high when he placed 121st out of 407 shooters when the curtains came down on the World Long Range Championships run by the International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Association (ICFRA) which ended yesterday afternoon at the Viale Ranges, Camp Perry, Ohio, USA following four days of
World Champ Ben Emms (left) along with Mahendra Persaud (centre) and Lennox Braithwaite take time out for a photo.
intense competition.
The 21 West Indian shooters coming from Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago were competing at Camp Perry for the first time in their careers and despite finding the conditions very challenging, held their own to do themselves and the Caribbean proud, according to Captain, Jamaican, Major Denis John Nelson.
Persaud, who went into the final day placed at 135 improved his overall placing by shooting a possible (75-9) at the 900 yards range to place 31st of 392 shooters and following in similar vein was another Guyanese, Ransford Goodluck who did even better by placing 16th with a score of 75-10.
However, the sunny, chilly and windy conditions did not help the West Indian shooters who found the 1000 yards range another challenge again. Guyanese Leo Romalho was the top scorer among his teammates with a score of 70-3.
Only three shooters were able to get a possible at the 1000 yards range yesterday morning with a total of 79 doing so at 900.
However, Australian Ben Emms rose above the challenges to crowned World Long Range Champion with a final score of 669-77, a gold medal performance. Taking the silver was Nigel Ball of Great Britain with a score of 668-75, while the bronze medal was taken another Australian, Matthew Pozzebon with a score of 666-78.
Following the 900 and 1000 yards yesterday, the top 10 shooters emerging that went into the Shoot Off were Emms who placed 9th, Ball who was first, Pozzebon (2nd), Allan White (New Zealand), Johannes Bruwer (South Africa), Bob Steketee (USA), Jon Tapster (Great Britain), Tom Whitaker (USA), Carl Kovalchik (USA) and Jon Underwood (Great Britain).
However, Emms pulled out all the stops to outshoot his rivals to claim the coveted title as the World’s Long Range Individual Champion and was duly paraded by his teammates in the championship chair following the announcement.
West Indies Captain Nelson commented on the performances of his charges: “We did very well with Mahendra Persaud shooting incredibly well; in fact, Guyana had the top four places for the West Indies. It’s not to say that the other shooters haven’t done well because I am very proud of our young shooters who continue to hold their own.”
Nelson also noted that the competition has been of a very high standard and our shooters can only get better with hard work. Young shots Jason Wood of Barbados and the Guyanese duo of Sherwin Felicen and Peter Persaud were commended by Nelson for holding up their end of the bargin.
The West Indies team for the Palma Match,which will be contested tomorrow and Friday also at the 800, 900 and 1000 yards ranges, was expected to be named last evening after a meeting.
This year’s Palma Match will be contested by Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, USA and the West Indies. Shooters from these countries also competed in the World Long Range Championships which commenced on Saturday last and concluded yesterday.
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