Sharon Barazani (Rossmoor, Calif.) and Sarah Beard (Danville, Ind.) wowed the crowd as they ascended the podium for the gold and silver medal in Junior Womenís 50m Rifle Prone. Though a non-Olympic event, the Prone match is no less demanding as the competitors fire 60 shots as opposed to the 20 shots required in the prone position of the 3 Position Rifle event. These talented young ladies came to the World Shooting Championships in Munich as relatively inexperienced juniors, as neither Barazani nor Beard had competed in a World Cup or World Championship prior to this event. They will deplane with not only individual medals, but the knowledge that their combined scores, plus the help of the third American shooter, Amanda Furrer (Spokane, Wash.), would have dismantled the team world record; yet the match didnít count for team points, only individual. Barazani finished with 596 total points and Beard was only one point behind at 595 total points. Their teammate, Furrer, finished 12th with 592 total points. Marcus Raab, Assistant National Coach to the junior team, said, ìThe young women shot great, have worked hard, and definitely deserve the success and accolades they have achieved.î A day prior during the Team event, the Junior team broke the former world record, yet finished fourth overall.
Another surprising success of the day was Petty Officer First Class Sandra Uptagrafft. She scored 384 point in the Womenís 10m Air Pistol match, thus earning a spot in the finals. In her first ISSF international final ever, Sandra worked hard to handle the pressure and demands of heated competition. With 93.3 points in the final, Uptagrafft finished eighth for 477.3 total points.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
