DIRK Sauber won the 2022 South African Championships hosted in Darling, South Africa. He was the standout performer of the shooters that the Namibian Practical Precision Shooting Association (NPPSA) sent to the prestigious competition across the border.
The South African Precision Rifle Association staged the event on 7 and 8 October, drawing South Africa and Namibia’s best shottists.
Sauber had compatriot Keiran Mans for company on the podium, with the latter claiming second place overall.
The course of fire included 16 stages with a total round count of 131. Sauber managed to win with a significant lead with 108 hits. Mans took the second place with 100 hits, followed by Hendrik Nel from South Africa with 99 hits.
Sauber already placed Namibia on the map when he managed a seventh place at the World Championships in France earlier this year.
Precision rifle shooting can be described as rifle shooting (bolt action) from multiple shooting positions (up to 10 different positions), with a high round count (8-12 shots) within a limited time (90-120 seconds) on steel plates ranging from 250m to 1300m.
The Namibia Sport Commission awarded national colours to Sauber, Mans, Jan ‘Janus’ van der Merwe, Schalk van Wyk and Johannes ‘Liebies’ Liebenberg ahead of the competition.
Fellow Namibians Jaco Kloppers, who ended in 10th position, Kevin Fick, Eneill Buitendag and Thys Blaauw entered individually.
Meanwhile, NPPSA is on a recruitment drive for precision rifle shooting sport (PRS) in Namibia.
“For those who are interested in joining the sport in Namibia, there is a commitment to having an inclusive approach to developing the sport. This has translated into different classes allowing a variety of skill levels to compete against their peers and progressively improve as one’s skills and confidence improves,” NPPSA said in statement.
The next competition at home will be hosted on 29 and 30 October near Windhoek.
“The structure of the classes is split into the elite, open, tactical, ladies and juniors as well as what is called a ‘casual’ class,” NPPSA said.
“The casual class allows new shooters to join and get the feel of things by being exposed to larger steel targets, generally half the round count, fewer required positions, and coaching during their course of fire.
“This class is often hotly contested, but the trick is that if you win a match within this class, you are automatically bumped up into an Open class.”
For further details follow PRS Namibia on Facebook and Instagram to join our scheduled matches or fun shoots, or contact Dirk Sauber at [email protected]