The World Down-The-Line (DTL) Shooting Championships concluded in Wagga last week, and Goulburn local Frazer Roberts emerged as the new World Champion.
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Roberts, a stalwart of the Goulburn Clay Target Club, has competed in many national and international competitions over the course of his sporting career, but said that his recent world title was the most satisfying of them all.
"[I’ve won] Australian titles and New Zealand titles before, I won runner up twice in America in two events over there,” Roberts said.
“But this one’s probably the pinnacle of it.”
Becoming the World Champion was “bloody fantastic” according to Roberts, but the path to the championship was anything but smooth in Wagga.
“The first day was pretty wild, it was like a hurricane we were shooting in,” Roberts said.
“I was lucky to put a pretty good score in there … and then the second day I thought I was probably out of it.
“Everyone else didn’t shoot real good either, and it was down to two of us in the shoot-off.”
Roberts was up against Andrew Brady from Victoria in the final rounds, and he eventually emerged successful from what he described as a “nerve-wracking” final.
“There was a couple of times there where the emotion and all the people watching gets a bit overwhelming,” Roberts said.
“But we come through in the end, so that was the main thing.”
Although he estimated crowd at the event to have been roughly 700 strong, Roberts’ experience in high-profile competitions acclimated him somewhat to the unique sensation provided by big audiences.
“Most of the shoot-offs in New Zealand and that sort of thing, there’s lots of people there,” Roberts said.
It also helped that this was not Roberts’ first time competing in the World Championships. He also took part in the 1997 edition, also in Australia, and the 2016 competition in Ireland, where he made the final.
Additionally, the support from the other members of the Goulburn Clay Target Club proved critical to Roberts’ success in Wagga.
“We had quite a few from Goulburn down there competing, and they’re always supportive,” Roberts said.
Aside from his personal achievements, Roberts also made a point of mentioning the young talent emerging from the club, and his role in helping them develop.
“We’ve got a lot of new junior shooters coming through, which is good,” he said.
“[I’m] always helping out with advice and coaching, that sort of thing.”
Following the tournament, Roberts took a week off to relax at the coast and savour his victory.