Guyana’s Lennox Braithwaite and Mahendra Persaud emerged the top two rifle shooters from the region at the annual Bisley Imperial Shoot in England recently.
Braithwaite was the best of the West Indian shooters with a score of 674 followed by Persaud with a 672 score.
David Luckman of England won the event with a grand aggregate score of 698 out of possible 705 points.
A total of 795 of the best shooters from around the world participated in this meet.
Norris Gomez of Trinidad and Tobago shot 667; Jamaican David Rickman shot 662 and the third Guyanese Overseas-based Sigmund Douglas, nailed 623 points.
The Queens Prize Finals was won by James Corbett of Australia.
The West Indies shooters also participated in two team shoots winning the
Junior Mackinnon Challenge Cup and six gold medals with a total of 377 points out of 400. Malaysia was second and Germany third.
The West Indies shooters then placed second in the Junior Overseas team shoot with 398 points. They were edged by one point by Malaysia whose team shot 399 out of 420.
In both team shoots, Persaud had the highest scores or 95 out of 100 and 103 out of 105 respectively.
Persaud and Braithwaite also participated in the 2013 Commonwealth Shooting Federation Championships held July 23 – 25 and the results will be known shortly. The event is a prelude for the Commonwealth Games next year.
The stand by shooter for the games is Ransford Goodluck whose participation at the Imperial Meet was hampered by financial constraints.
The Guyana National Rifle Association (GNRA) said in a press release that it wished to thank Commodore Gary Best, Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defense Force, Commissioner of Police Leroy Brummel, the Guyana Revenue Authority, Crown Mining Inc., Queensway, the Guyana Olympic Association and all those persons who assisted in making the tour possible.
The shooters are due to return home this weekend.
