NZ teams win sitting down

Why is it that New Zealand teams are so sucessful at sports where you compete sitting down?

Following the success of rowers, equestrians, yachties, cyclists and kayakers, New Zealand now has a gold medal winning shooting team that succeeded while seated.

The Oceania regional shooting competition held recently in Noumea, Caledonia was the scene of the sedentary success.

The benchrest shooting team defeated teams from the old rival Australia and two from the host country.

Benchrest shooting consists of firing 20 groups of 5 shots at 100 and 200 meters and trying to get these shots to land as close as possible to each other.

The ideal is to get all shots of one group through a hole the size of a single bullet.

The rifles are fired while seated from rests on concrete tables, with the skill being judging the wind, and dealing with tropical conditions where the mirage on occasion made the targets nearly invisible.

Team coach Kevin Duckworth said that prior to the match the New Zealand team were not rated by the Noumea papers who saw the Australian teams who included two former World Champions as the clear favourites.

"This was just the incentive the Kiwi shooters needed."

They put their success down to working closely as a team, sharing ideas and helping each other out.

Plus of course that Kiwi magic armchair factor.

ENDS