|
Britain’s disabled shooters have returned from the Para-Oceania Continental Shooting Championships in Australia with a silver and two bronze medals. Paralympian Deanna Coates led the way picking up silver in the R2 10m air rifle standing. She shot 100.7 in the finals to finish second behind Korea’s Mi Sook Lee, having reached the finals in first place with a score of 387. Elsewhere rising star Nathan Milgate came back from a disappointment in the R1 10m air rifle standing, where he finished 7th, to win the bronze in the R3 10m air rifle mixed prone. Nathan equalled his PB of 599/600 in the qualification round before scoring 102.4 in the final to finish in third. Karen Butler also picked up a bronze medal, finishing third in the R8 50m sport rifle .22, an event in which she also won the bronze at the recent European Championships in July. As well as being the regional shooting championships for the Oceania region the Para-Oceania Continental Shooting Championships was the final opportunity for other nations outside Oceania to score qualification marks for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Sixty-five athletes from 19 countries took part in the event, which took place in Sydney from October 28 to November 4, 2007. The championships were a good opportunity for Britain’s shooters to prove themselves ahead of selection for the Paralympics. Team Manager Pasan Kularatne, said: "As well as giving our athletes an opportunity to score qualification marks for the Paralympic Games, these championships also gave some of the less experienced on the squad exposure to a major championships in a different time-zone, which will be good preparation for Beijing next year."  Nathan Milgate wins bronze |
