WINDHOEK – Namibia’s Olympic trap shottist, Gaby Ahrens travels to the Egyptian capital Cairo today to defend her title at the African Championships, which get underway next Wednesday.
The 32-year-old, who won the continental title in 2011, will be the only Namibian participant at the continental event and will be accompanied by her father Hasso Ahrens, who also doubles up as coach and manager. “I have a good feeling for this event, my ultimate aim is to get a place among the top two in order to qualify for the Commonwealth Games in Scotland later this year, although defending my title successfully will be a great milestone. I’m looking forward to giving my best shot,” said a confident Ahrens. In a bid to fulfill her dream, the 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist has been training at the Luipersdsvallei military base shooting range almost every day for the last couple of weeks and hopes the target practice coupled with endless hours in the gym will give her the edge over her opponents. “I have practiced very hard for this event and I hope this will pay off in Egypt.” The two-time Olympian sees her biggest competition coming from the north African countries, notably Morocco and Egypt. The South Africans, who have always been title contenders over the years, have pulled out of the competition as a result of the ongoing political unrest in Egypt. With the absence of the South Africans, the north Africans are likely to prove the toghest competition. In the meantime, the blonde shottist says she is now used to her new weapon, which was generously provided by German manufacturer – Krieghoff. “The gun is a dream come true,” she added delightfully.
At the Namibian Grand Prix late last year, Ahrens experienced some problems with the gun since she only had limited time to train with it, but her victory at last weekend’s national trials showed that the pair have grown to become a unit. She further expressed gratitude to Wecke & Voigts and Hyundai Namibia, after both companies teamed up to come on board as sponsors.
By Staff Reporter