VETERAN TRINIDAD and Tobago rifle shooter Roger Daniel is bracing for the challenge he will expect at the Pan American Games, scheduled to take place in Toronto, Canada, from July 10-26.
At the 2011 edition in Guadalajara, Mexico, the 45-year-old Daniel earned a silver medal in the men’s 10-metre air pistol and, this month, he will be seeking another piece of silverware, in his third Pan Am Games.
During an interview on Monday, the Defence Force standout said, “this time around, I know it’s even more challenging because the rules in the sport (have) changed.
“But I believe this time, a gold is the goal. I feel more confident, I feel stronger, much more secure in the sport,” he added.
The 10-metre air pistol will take place on July 12 at the Pan Am Shooting Centre in Innisfil.
The event consisted of two rounds — a qualifier and a final. In the qualifier, each shooter fired 60 shots with an air pistol at 10 metres distance. Scores for each shot were in increments of one, with a maximum score of 10.
The top eight shooters in the qualifying round moved on to the final round. There, they fired an additional 10 shots. These shots scored in increments of .1, with a maximum score of 10.9. The total score from all 70 shots was used to determine final ranking.
Daniel commented, “the way it has changed, you’ll definitely have to increase (your) training and muscular endurance because it’s more crowd-orientated. No longer it’s points going forward to the finals, now it’s more concentration, it’s a longer time.”
Stating that his preparations has been “very good”, Daniel does not see himself retiring from competitive rifle shooting anytime soon.
“The sport affords you to go as long as you can hold the unit, really and truly,” he said. “Look Joe Costa just won in the United States and he’s aged 50. So he has won the World Championship twice, back-to- back.
“So I’m not putting it past (me). My sport allows me to go at that age and beyond, so if I’m afforded to go, I will do it,” he ended.