Published on 07 Aug 2008
Nattrass and Kuzmins shot for a participations record
Marco Dalla Dea
The Rapid Fire Pistol shooter Afanasijs KUZMINS, 61, from Latvia, is the oldest shooter competing in the XXIX Olympic Games of Beijing 2008, setting the record of eight Olympic participations. Susan NATTRASS, a women’s Trap Shooter from Canada, is ready to take part in her sixth Olympiad, a record for a shotgun women shooter <em>“And I won’t stop </em>– she said –<em> I will surely shot next year, to celebrate 40 years of shooting at world level”</em>
“As long as you have your passion, age does not matter. And I love to compete: shooting is a big part of my life” said Susan NATTRASS, the 57-year old Women’s Trap shooter from Canada who has already set a new record before the official start of the competitions. She is going to take part in her sixth edition of the Games, the highest Olympic participation ever for a shotgun women shooter in the history of the international shooting sport.
NATTRASS, a medical researcher by profession, has bounded her name to the clay shooting sport in the last forty years, and has played an important role in the modern history of shooting. She was at the head of the campaign to include separate women’s event for Trap and Skeet at the Olympics “As an activist I think probably I made my legacy – she said – because now women are competing in Trap and Skeet. I think this increased the possibilities for women and participation of women. I had made my contribution, as I started young and I’m now older!” With her 57-year of age, NATTRASS is going to be the older women shooter at the XXIX Olympiad of Beijing 2008, and she is now planning for the future “I love to compete, as I said. I will shoot for sure for another year, and then it will be 40 years that I have competed at world level. After that, I may still shot or I may turn to coaching!”
But the absolute record in age and Olympic participations in shooting sports goes to Rapid Fire Pistol men shooter, the Latvian athlete Afanasijs KUZMINS, who will shot here in Beijing in his eighth Olympic editions. First wearing the colours of URS, and then competing under the flag of Latvia, KUZMINS has been competing in the most important sport event since the Olympic Games of Montreal 1976, missing only the 1984 edition held in Los Angeles. The Latvian Rapid Fire Pistol veteran, born in 1947, is also the oldest shooter at these Games. “As long as you have your passion, age does not matter!” reminds Nattrass.
NATTRASS, a medical researcher by profession, has bounded her name to the clay shooting sport in the last forty years, and has played an important role in the modern history of shooting. She was at the head of the campaign to include separate women’s event for Trap and Skeet at the Olympics “As an activist I think probably I made my legacy – she said – because now women are competing in Trap and Skeet. I think this increased the possibilities for women and participation of women. I had made my contribution, as I started young and I’m now older!” With her 57-year of age, NATTRASS is going to be the older women shooter at the XXIX Olympiad of Beijing 2008, and she is now planning for the future “I love to compete, as I said. I will shoot for sure for another year, and then it will be 40 years that I have competed at world level. After that, I may still shot or I may turn to coaching!”
But the absolute record in age and Olympic participations in shooting sports goes to Rapid Fire Pistol men shooter, the Latvian athlete Afanasijs KUZMINS, who will shot here in Beijing in his eighth Olympic editions. First wearing the colours of URS, and then competing under the flag of Latvia, KUZMINS has been competing in the most important sport event since the Olympic Games of Montreal 1976, missing only the 1984 edition held in Los Angeles. The Latvian Rapid Fire Pistol veteran, born in 1947, is also the oldest shooter at these Games. “As long as you have your passion, age does not matter!” reminds Nattrass.