Shooting Australia’s International Grand Prix in Sydney over the weekend has produced some of Australia’s most outstanding performances across the board, possibly the best on domestic soil, led by 14 Performance Qualifying Scores (PQS).
With the Glasgow Commonwealth Games selection heating up, many high performance athletes have been shooting brilliant scores as they fight it out for nomination.
The star of the event was 2008 Beijing Olympic Games bronze medallist Warren Potent (Currans Hill, NSW), who shot a brilliant 598/600 in Men’s Rifle Prone on both days of competition, and then went on to win the title by a wide margin. The scores also earned Potent two PQSs, taking his total up to seven in the past 12 months.
The other PQSs were earned by athletes from the shotgun discipline, including 2004 Athens Olympic Games bronze medallist Adam Vella (Keilor Downs, VIC) who won the Men’s Trap title from dual Olympic gold medallist Michael Diamond (Salamander Bay, NSW).
In Women’s Trap, 2004 Athens Gold medallist Suzy Balogh (Cecil Hills, NSW) won first place and achieved a PQS, followed by Laetisha Scanlan (Berwick, VIC) in second place. Fellow trap shooter Teegan McCloy (Kotara, NSW) also secured a PQS on 69 targets.
Women’s skeet shooter Laura Coles (Busselton, WA) shot her fourth PQS in the last 12 months, with a total of 70 targets but lost the top spot to Lauryn Mark (Hoppers Crossing, VIC).
Men’s skeet shooter Paul Adams (Kippa Ring, QLD) shot a brilliant 123 targets and achieved a PQS, but couldn’t hold off Keith Ferguson (Sale, VIC) for gold, after the finals.
The Grand Prix in Sydney has also solidified the Australian High Performance Paralympic team’s performance, in the lead up to the International Paralympic Committee’s benchmark World Championship event in Suhl, Germany (19-26 July 2014).
The stand out performer in the Paralympic events was Jason Maroney (Wangaratta, VIC), who won three gold medals, achieving two PQSs and setting a New Australian Record in the Air Standing event. Maroney is in top form after settling into a new training routine and equipment.
Ashley Adams (Blackall, QLD) won three gold medals and achieved three PQSs, while 11-times Paralympian Elizabeth Kosmala (Klemzig, SA) won two gold medals and achieved a PQS. In Pistol, Christopher Pitt (Bundaberg, QLD) won three gold medals and earned himself a PQS.
The Selection Period for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow runs until 22 April. The next events to gain selection are the Australia Cup Series, which will run from 14-16 March in Victoria and South Australia.
0 Comments