SHOOTING: Beijing Olympic Games bronze medallist Warren Potent (Currans Hill, NSW) has reclaimed the top spot in 50m Rifle Prone Men in the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) world rankings, after a resounding victory at the World Championship in Granada, Spain, last month.
The 52-year-old draughtsman has worked incredibly hard this season, to rise to the top of the sport and claim his career's first World Championship title, in the wake of a shaky international run in 2013.
In Potent’s words: “It goes to show a person can be competitive at any age in our sport.”
Potent has demonstrated longevity of success in the Shooting Sports by holding the World Number One rank several times in his illustrious career.
“I first got to the number one rank after the Bangkok World Cup in 2007 and stayed at that rank until the end of 2007. From then on until late in 2010, I stayed within the top three before rising again to world number one early in 2008, then again in 2009.”
In August this year, Potent claimed his debut individual Commonwealth Games title, in Glasgow, where the Australian Shooting team eclipsed all medal-expectations by securing six gold and two bronze medals.
Earlier in the 2014 ISSF World Cup season, Potent made three finals in as many World Cups attended, and won the Silver at the Maribor World Cup in June.
When asked how he felt being Australia’s newest World Champion, Potent modestly describes his success in 2014 as ‘surreal’.
“Going from the last couple of years, where I was not performing very well, to making every final internationally this year and then winning the World Championship! I’m still a little stunned and very happy,” he said.
“I’m just enjoying the sport at the moment and looking at when I will retire from international competition in a couple of years, still being a World Champion and still at or near the top of the World of Sport.
“Next year will not be as busy as this year has been, internationally; I’m competing at three World Cups and maybe the World Cup Final again. Then I will lead up to the Rio Olympic Games, where if I can keep my form at or near where it is at the moment, I will have a good chance there.”
Potent is set to compete at the ISSF World Cup Final in Azerbaijan, UAE (October 21 – 28 2014), which is an invitation-only event for the top ten ranked athletes in each event.
“I’m looking forward to the World Cup Final in the next few weeks, just planning on being relaxed and enjoying the competition,” Potent said.
He will be joined by Victorian Trap Women athletes Catherine Skinner (East Melbourne, VIC) and Laetisha Scanlan (Berwick, VIC), who are ranked World Number Three and Nine respectively.
Skinner was a bronze medallist at the ISSF World Championship in Granada and Scanlan was a gold medallist at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Follow the ISSF World Cup Final here
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