Games: Petterson heads large shooting team

Aucklander Stephen Petterson, chasing a third consecutive gold medal, heads the New Zealand shooting team announced today to contest the Manchester Commonwealth Games later this year.

Petterson travels to the Bisley range in search of gold medal hat-trick, after back-to-back successes in the prone 50m rifle at Victoria in 1994 and Kuala Lumpur four years later.

Petterson has also been at every Commonwealth Games since 1986 with a tally of four gold medals and one silver.

He heads a 21-strong team comprising seven women and 14 men.

Aucklander Greg Yelavich, with 10 Commonwealth Games medals, including two golds, is New Zealand's most medalled Commonwealth Games athlete. At this year's games he will contest the 50m pistol, 25m centre fire pistol, 25m standard pistol

Yelavich has represented New Zealand at every games since Edinburgh in 1986, winning medals at all four. He has also represented his country at two Olympic Games.

Shooting has regularly been one of the best performing sections at the Commonwealth Games for New Zealand. At Kuala Lumpur in 1998, shooting was the best performed New Zealand sport, with eight medals including one gold.

On the eight times shooters have been part of the New Zealand team, they have won 38 medals including 11 gold, 12 silver and 15 bronze.

Three members of the team that attended the Sydney Olympic Games will be at Bisley. Auckland's Tania Corrigan, winner of two silver medals and a bronze at Kuala Lumpur four years ago, will step up again in England. Teresa Borrell and Winton's Geoff Jukes are the other Sydney Olympians in the team.

New Zealand Shooting Federation executive officer Graeme Hudson said the team has been extensively monitored before selection.

"Each shooter has been selected after a series of seven trials during which they had to twice attain a level of performance that should place each of them in the finals at the Commonwealth Games."

"We are confident that this team will meet the standards set by previous Commonwealth Games shooting teams."

The team is:

Men: Stephen Petterson (Auckland), 50m rifle - prone

Sean McCabe (Auckland), 50m rifle - prone

David Grummitt (Wellington), 10m air rifle

Dayle Slinn (Hawera), 50m rifle - three position - 10m air rifle (pairs only)

Brian Wistrand (Dargaville), trap, double trap

William Jones (Huntly), trap

Scott Wilson (Gore), double trap

Geoffrey Jukes (Winton), skeet

Michael Wilson (Winton), skeet

Gregory Yelavich (Auckland), 50m pistol, 25m centre fire pistol, 25m standard pistol
Jason Wakeling (Auckland), 25m rapid fire pistol

10m air pistol, 25m standard pistol

Alan Earle (Auckland), 50m pistol, 25m centre fire pistol (pairs only)

Michael Smith (Wellington), 10m air pistol, 25m rapid fire pistol (pairs only)

Michael Collings (Whakatane), fullbore rifle.

Women: Juliet Etherington (Auckland), 50m rifle - prone

Kathryn Mead (Auckland), 50m rifle - prone

Teresa Borrell (Auckland), trap, double trap (pairs only)

Nadine Stanton (New Plymouth), double trap, trap (pairs only)

Jocelyn Lees (Auckland), 10m air pistol, 25m pistol

Tania Corrigan (Auckland), 10m air pistol, 25m pistol

Diane Collings (Whakatane), fullbore rifle.

Chester Burt - manager

Ian Pottinger - smallbore rifle coach

Gavin Paton - clay target coach

Barry O'Neale - pistol coach

Geoffrey Smith - fullbore rifle coach

Dene Coleman - medical.

- NZPA


- NZPA