WINDHOEK – Namibia’s Olympic Trap shooter Gaby Ahrens took over the first place on the latest African rankings of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), after finishing 11th at the first World Cup season in Tuscon, USA last month.
The ranking was released last week and the ISSF confirmed in a letter that the 32-year-old brand-ambassador of Hyundai Namibia is now the number one of the continent. “We can confirm that Miss Ahrens, Gaby Diana, is currently in the first position in the African ranking in the ISSF Trap Women event,” reads the letter issued by the federation. With this, the Windhoek-born shottist has also met the qualifying criteria for the Commonwealth Games in August.
Ahrens participated at the World Cup to improve her world rankings. Although the hot and dry conditions favoured the Namibian, she shot a disappointing first round, hitting only 19 of the 25 targets. But after that, the former African champion underlined her class as she struck 22 and 23 clay pigeons during the next two rounds respectively. Ahrens eventually finished the qualification round with a total score of 64, missing out on a place among the top six that went through to the final with only two targets. “The first round cost me a better position at the end of the day. If I had scored another 22 or 23 there, I would have surely made the final. But on a positive note, I’m glad I recovered from the first round and shot some good results thereafter,” Ahrens said. It was the best result ever scored by an African female shooter. “Miss Ahrens has also obtained the 11th place in the ISSF shotgun World Cup event, thus obtaining the best rank ever achieved by a female shooter from Africa in a World Cup,” the letter further states.
The tournament, marking the first of the four World Cup seasons played throughout the year, was won by Laetischa Scanlan of Australia who beat Sarah Wixey of Great Britain in the final. Scanlan had already dominated the qualification round, being on target on 70 out of 75 occasions. Ahrens is now planning to participate at another World Cup season event, especially the one in Munich in June, where she hopes to continue improving her form and be at her best should her participation at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow materialize.
By Staff Reporter