SHOOTING
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ORANGE pistol shooter Dean Brus' double-medal haul at the WA PPC 1500 world championships in Germany this month was a significant achievement – but nowhere near as special as having his old man see him do it.
"He hasn't seen me in action very often. He splashed out and went to Wagga once [from Grenfell]. It was great to have him over there – it was the highlight of the event for me," Brus said.
Brus claimed a silver medal in the two-man international teams' event at Philippsburg and third place in the world teams' event, which featured a unique format where team-mates could watch each other's shots with binoculars and give tips to their partner.
But the unexpected change wasn't necessarily a bonus for Brus and his team-mate Tony Drabsch, from Parkes.
"It's supposed to be a discreet event, it was unusual. I hadn't even had a shot and the guy next to me is saying to his team-mate 'you've gone left, you've gone high'. It's really distracting," Brus said.
"It becomes a bit of a psych-out. Tony and I looked at each other's first six shots and then just kept saying ‘you've hit it in the guts again big fella' for every shot."
Over 60 teams, including professional European shooters, took part in the teams' event, giving further credence to Brus' achievements.
"Some of those German teams, that's all they do. They have the best guns and the best ammunition. So for a little self-funded ‘firie' from Orange to go over there and do that was a big buzz. There were a lot of pro teams that came home behind us," he said.
Brus' immediate focus will now turn to the WA 1500 Victorian State Championships from September 22-23.
"There's a shoot every month now up until Christmas. I received a lot of financial support from businesses in Orange in the lead-up to the world championships, so with the bit I've got left over there I'll be travelling to events and hopefully keep improving," he said.
"Pistol Australia might be selecting a team to go to South Africa next year as well, where most of the teams that took part in Germany will participate.
"Having travelled a bit now I've definitely got the bug. I'd love to do a lot more of it."