My Account
Makarau residents Raymond O’Brien and Victoria Pichler were on target when they both picked up back-to-back gold medals in pistol shooting last month.
Both shooters bagged top prizes in their division in the IPSC New Zealand National Handgun Championships held at Wanganui Pistol Club, from November 14 to 18.
O’Brien, 61, competed in the super senior division while Pichler, 45, participated in the ladies division.
“We’re pleased with the way we performed, but there is always room to improve,” O’Brien says.
Although the couple only took up the sport three years ago, they competed at the world championships in France last year, where O’Brien finished sixth in his division.
“We decided to try out shooting in 2014 at the Auckland Pistol Club and were hooked straight away,” Pichler says.
“There is both a mental and physical challenge with the events and we find that exciting.”
The ranges they compete on comprise between six and 16 targets, and mixed terrain, and every layout is different.
Participants have three minutes prior to their shoot to identify where all of the targets are and then they are timed during their run and scored on a points per second basis.
“It is very intense and thrilling because of the time factor and course layout,” O’Brien says.
O’Brien is no stranger to high level performance, after becoming the Australian black belt heavyweight champion for Taekwondo in 2003. He says he was also the Australian junior road cycling champion.
The couple is currently developing what they plan to be the largest shooting facility in NZ in Makarau.
“There is a real lack of large shooting clubs in New Zealand and that is holding back our competitors on the world stage,” Pichler says. “We hope the new facility will help grow the sport here.”
