Canada’s Shooters Set on Improving on 3 Medal Performance at Glasgow 2014

The Belmont Shooting Complex will host the Clay Target, Fullbore, Pistol and Smallbore shooting events for GC2018. This sport facility received a $16.5 million (AUS) upgrade to meet international competition requirements and host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Canada’s group of shooting veterans is looking forward to their competition starting on April 9th, with hopes to improve on the team’s performance at Glasgow 2014 – three medals: two silver and one bronze.

Robert Pitcairn, the Commonwealth Games’ oldest athlete ever (at 79) and Nicole Rossignol will team up to compete in the Queen’s Prize Pairs and Individual events in Fullbore Rifle. Rounding out the four-athlete team are Trap shooter, Curtis Wennberg, and Grzegorz (Gregory) Sych who will challenge in the 3 Position Rifle and 50m Prone Rifle events.

A bit of a celebrity in the Athletes Village, Robert Pitcairn (Chilliwack BC) was asked for his thoughts on being the oldest athlete to take part in the Games. « I feel honoured to set this new record and am grateful that my health and athleticism have made it possible for me to compete in the Gold Coast Games. » A longtime airline pilot, Pitcairn started shooting Fullbore in 1960.

Nicole Rossignol (Quebec QC) is at her first Commonwealth Games, and the only woman in the Fullbore competition, as well as being the first Canadian woman to be selected for this event at the Commonwealth Games. She started shooting with the Army cadets at the age of 15 and appreciates the technical support and experience of her teammate.

Trap shooter Curtis Wennberg (Winnipeg, MB) was just off the podium at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, with a 4th place finish. The Gold Coast Games are a homecoming of sorts for him as he lived in Australia for 5 years. A successful businessman in the financial field, Wennberg took several years off from shooting, but came back in 2012 and is Canada’s highest ranked Trap shooter.

Rifle shooter Sych (Kitchener, ON) is originally from Krakow, Poland and holds a dual Canadian-Polish citizenship. Sych will take part in the 3 position rifle and 50m prone events. He has participated in 4 Pan American Games, with his highest finish being a 7^th place at Guadalajara, Mexico. These are his first Commonwealth Games.

Sylvie Bigras

Media Attaché – Shooting

sylvie@magma.ca +61 0422 445 960