St. John's shooter Ben Taylor on target for Pan Am Games
National air rifle champion Ben Taylor of St. John's is confident of success as he heads to the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.
The 22-year-old seems to have everything going his way as he prepares to step onto a plane bound for Ontario Tuesday morning.
He just recently completed a degree at Memorial University, and his aim at the shooting range has never been better.
"My scores over the past few days have been climbing steadily, so I'm hoping that they will continue to do so as we head into the Games," a confident sounding Taylor said during an interview Monday with the St. John's Morning Show.
Taylor is a rising star in target shooting. He was a double bronze medallist at the 2011 Canada Games, and is a two-time national champion in the men's 10-metre air rifle competition.
His ultimate goal is to land a roster spot with Team Canada and compete at an Olympic Games.
Success at the Pan Am Games, his biggest competition do date, would be a big step on that path, and Taylor has set high expectations for himself.
On the international stage, target shooting is dominated by European and Asian countries.
The Pan Am Games draws competitors from North America and South America, and Taylor sees himself as a strong medal contender, "If I can keep focused and stop thinking about lunch afterwards," he joked.
Taylor was introduced to shooting by his father at age 10, and started competing at age 16.
Target shooting has three disciplines: shotgun, pistol and rifle.
Taylor is a specialist with the rifle, routinely hitting a target the size of a period at the end of a sentence from 10 metres away.
He's been training hard for about a year, and is at the shooting range six days-a-week.
"It's been a long build-up," he said.
Here's the full list of Newfoundland and Labrador's contingent at the Pan Am Games:
- Ryan Boland of Goulds (softball)
- Sean Cleary of Harbour Main (softball)
- Brad Ezekiel of Harbour Main (softball)
- Jason Hill of St. John's (softball)
- Stephen Mullaley of Freshwater (softball)
- John Hill of St. John's (assistant coach, softball)
- Les Howey of Conception Bay South (assistant coach, softball)
- Ben Taylor of St. John's (shooting)
- Patrick Parfrey of St. John's (rugby sevens)
- Carl English of Paradise (basketball)
Three athletes from Newfoundland and Labrador are competing in the Parapan Am Games:
- Katarina Roxon of Stephenville (swimming)
- Kyle Payne of Cormack (football/soccer)
- Liam Hickey of St. John's (wheelchair basketball)
