Target locked ... Barnes working with US trainer to help realise Olympic dream

Top Jamaican shooter Shaun Barnes has secured the assistance of globally recognised shooter and coach Gebben Miles for tips and analysis as he looks to become the first Jamaican to qualify for skeet shooting at the Olympic Games.

Miles, an American, arrived in the island yesterday and will spend the next five days assisting Barnes with training in sporting clay and Olympic trap before the Jamaican makes a decision on his future efforts.

"A few years, ago I was just searching the Internet and saw a video with this gentleman shooting and realised his approach was similar. So I became fascinated and started doing research on who he was as it has always been a goal of mine to be at an Olympics, and I am determined one way or another to get there," Barnes told The Gleaner at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday.

Barnes shared that his new mentor has a way of imparting information that is really effective, and he strongly believes the American can push him to the next stage.

"Our intention is to get a hold of Olympic skeet shooting and analyse if that is the direction we should really be focusing," Barnes explained. "Olympic trap, we don't have the facility to shoot it here in Jamaica, but we have to make good use of the time and learn as much as I possibly can."

"He (Miles) gave me the opportunity to visit him in Texas, and we did a few sessions that were successful, and he said something that resonated with me. He said I have the potential and that I can, if I really want to. So despite everything we did in those hours, that statement made a huge impact, and it gave me that drive and push to pursue dreams I had put on the sidelines.

"But I assessed it, and I know this is the person I want here with me, and him being here will also give the Jamaican shooting community a lot of inspiration and encouragement, so let's see where it takes us over the next five days," he said.

Meanwhile, Miles, who rates Barnes as an exceptional talent, believes that with hard work, the Jamaican can excel at the highest level.

"I want to inspire and encourage the shooters here, who are the future of our sport. Hopefully, I can help everybody understand how they can excel," said Miles.

"I want to help Shaun in a positive way. Shaun is as talented as anybody I have ever seen, and he has the desire to shoot at the highest level, and he has all the gifts and talent and the desire to work hard," Miles noted. "If he works really hard, he can go as far as he wants, whether it's the Olympic Games or any other games," he said.

Barnes is a six-time national shotgun champion and was last year named co-captain of Jamaica's team to the Central American and Caribbean Games.