Great Britain dominated the first International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Shooting World Cup event of the year in Szczecin, Poland at the weekend winning four out of seven events.
Great Britain did not have its own way in all events though with Russia claiming victory in three events. Marina Klimenchenko took gold in the P2 Women's 10m Individual Air Pistol - SH1 and Tatiana Ryabchenko won in the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone - SH1.
The next World Cup event will take place between 26 and 29 April in Turkey and will again be an opportunity for athletes to attain the Minimum Qualification Standard for London 2012. In addition to reaching the Minimum Qualification Standard, there are three World Cup events taking place later this year between May and November which are Paralympic Qualification events. This means the winners in each category will earn extra places for London 2012 for their NPC. The first of these events is in Spain in May and already more than 210 shooters from over 40 countries have signed up to take part.
About the Sport ( information courtesy IPC Shooting website)
Shooting has been part of the Paralympic Games since Toronto in 1976 and in 2008, is practiced in 59 countries. Shooting is a test of accuracy and control, in which competitors use pistols or rifles to fire a series of shots at a stationary target. Competitions at the Paralympic Games are open to all athletes with a physical disability. There are two classes of competition, wheelchair and standing. Athletes compete in Rifle and Pistol events from distances of 10, 25 and 50m, in men's, women's and mixed competitions. Shooting utilizes a functional classification system, which enables athletes from different disability classes to compete together either individually or in teams. Shooting is governed by the IPC and co-ordinated by the IPC Shooting Technical Committee following the modified rules of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). These rules take into account the differences that exist between Shooting for the able-bodied and Shooting for persons with a disability.
Classification table courtesy of IPC Shooting website.
At the London 2012 Paralympic Games there will be 140 athletes competing in 12 medal events. Each National Paralympic Committee (NPC) can be allocated a maximum of five places for athletes through the Direct Qualification Method. To be eligible for selection by an NPC, each athlete must be licensed, classified and have achieved the Minimum Qualification Standard at least twice in an IPC recognized competition. For more information on IPC Shooting, please visit IPC SHOOTING
for more information on the classification system for the sport see CLASSIFICATION
For further insights check out the sports Rules and regulations document
ATHLETE PROFILE
GB's Mandy Pankhurst.
![mandyspankhiurstshooter]_2.gif](https://www.womensportreport.com/pictures/mandyspankhiurstshooter]_2.gif)
She had previously been a netballer but , following a horse riding accident Australia 1st June 2004 she became paraplegic. She became involved in target shooting in April 2005, following her discovery that she had a talent and ability for target shooting when she was attending the UK Inter Spinal Unit Games.
She competes in the SH1 (A) category , that is pistol and rifle competitors where the athletes do not require a shooting stand. (SH2: Rifle competitors who have no ability to support the weight of the firearm with their arms and therefore require a shooting stand. SH3: Rifle competitors with visual impairment.) She competes in the R2; R3; events that is the 10m air rifle standing and prone.
Currently Mandy trains some fifteen hours a week with live firing, dry firing, mental training, fitness training. Thus far she has had a string of successes with three gold medals from the British Open 2006; Highest International placing to date 4th. She holds two Bronze medals from the Ladies Team Event in France May 2010 and then at the World Championships in Croatia in July 2010 with fellow team mates Di Coates and Karen Butler. She has also acquired a selection of medals and trophies from various postal and domestic competitions since my first competition in September 2005.
Mandy tells me she has no particular sporting heroes but acknowledges her GB team mate Di Coates as her mentor. But , the feeling she got when she won her first gold medal in 2006 filled her with pride, a huge sense of achievement and made her realise there was something she was really good at and wanted more of ! She is upbeat about her "disability" saying that if she had not had the accident, she would never have discovered this “hidden talent”. She affirms proudly " I have an ability not a disability!" She has her eye firmly fixed on a gold medal as her target for the 2012 Paralympics.
Images courtesy of Mandy Pankhurst
