Windhoek
Namibia’s upcoming shottist Oliver Hoffmann made waves at the South African Shooting Grand in Johannesburg a fortnight ago.
The 15-year-old from Windhoek secured a gold medal in the Mackintosh category, while also winning a silver medal in the ATA division.
Competing in the Under-20 Category, the debutant scored 288/300 during the Mackintosh event. Mackintosh, measured according to the DTL regulations, is an international event, which is especially popular in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.
If the target is hit with one shot, the participant scores three points. The second shot earns him two, while a double miss brings no points at all.
Hoffmann’s score therefore means that he only missed three targets while also hitting three only the second time around, thus giving him a total score of 288 out of a maximum 300.
This is a remarkable achievement, considering it was the first time Hoffmann participated in this event and against vastly experienced competitors from South African clubs.
His silver medal came courtesy of another top-notch performance, this time in the ATA category. Here the shooters fired at 200 targets, gaining a single point per hit.
The Namibian scored 183 – missing a mere 17 pigeons. Eager to build on this success, the Clay Target Shooting Association (CTSA) of Namibia will be sending Hoffmann to a youth training camp in Italy soon, where he will be exposed to some of the best coaches in the world, according to the CTSA.
The camp will focus on teaching him the most important skills in shotgun shooting such as technical aspects, psychology and fitness.