Teenage shooter bags historic medals at English Championships
Published:Saturday | July 15, 2023 | 12:08 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
DESPITE being only 16 years old Jamaica’s Aliana McMaster is slowly becoming a star on the shooting circuit. McMaster returned from the recently concluded World English Sporting Clay Championships held at the E.J, Churchill Shooting Ground in England with a total of three medals, a silver and two bronze, and in the process becoming the first Jamaican shooter to win medals on European soil.
McMaster, part of an eight-member team representing Jamaica, took on shooters from United States, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Italy and Sweden. The talented shooter who was the only medallist on the team took silver in the Sub Junior Ladies five stand, and bronze in Sub Junior and Sun Junior main event categories. McMaster stated that she entered the championships with an open mind and zero expectations.
“I basically went with an open mind as it almost felt like going to the United States for the first time to shoot, as you don’t know what to really expect. So, I didn’t really have any expectations because I knew something had to be different about the tournament, so I knew not to really think about placement or anything like that, but just go, do my best and have fun,” she stated.
McMaster stated that achieving the historic feat of becoming the first Jamaican to win a shooting medal on the European circuit is a fact that has indeed sunken in as it proves to her that great feats are attainable.
“When you win over there (European circuit) it proves to yourself that this can be done despite what other people may say or what they might think. I’ll still watch the videos from the shoot and smile because of how happy I am of my performance,” McMaster said.
However, while pleased with her overall performance, little time will be spent on celebrations as the 2023 National Shotgun Championships will be contested over two days, today and Sunday, at the Tru-Juice Complex in Bog Walk, St. Catherine. Aliana, if she should be named 2023 female champion, will have to do so by dethroning her mother, Wendy McMaster, something that doesn’t really excite her that much.
“My family makes up most of the female competitors and I don’t like to think about it like that so I would rather think about what else can I achieve, so junior national champion is something I would want to accomplish this year,” Aliana remarked.