Elton Tucker, Assistant Editor - Sport

Local practical shooting star, Lesgar Murdock, will leave the island today to seek further glory at the United States Handgun Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Earlier this year, Murdock surprised even himself when he became the first Jamaican to win the prestigious Double Tap Tournament, which was held in, Texas in March.

Competing against 103 shooters, the 28-year-old former Jamaica College and York Castle High student had a perfect score. The victory was all the more remarkable as it was achieved in what was, for him, atrocious weather conditions.

Winning felt great

"The temperature at the tournament was about minus five degrees Celsius and it snowed one morning. The Americans were wondering how I survived the conditions knowing that I'm coming from a hot country ... ," Murdock said earlier this week. "I just blocked out the snow and just did my best and it (winning) felt great, knowing that I put in a lot of hard work. When I was told that I had won, I really could not believe it."

This year has been a good one for Murdock. He was fourth overall at the Florida Open in February with a 91.50 per cent score. After his victory at the Double Tap, he placed third overall at the Florida State Championship in May, then in June he was third overall again and first in the Master Class at the Area Five Championships.

At the September US Handgun Nationals, Murdock will compete in both the open and limited divisions.

"This is the largest tournament in the US and my aim is to be in the top five," said Murdock. He has been competing at the US Nationals for the past seven years and last year he had a top-20 finish.

Murdock has had a great love for shooting since a family friend took him to the Mountain View Range in 1990 and gave him 'a couple of rounds to shoot'.

He remembers going to his first international tournament in that same year and was disqualified after having problems with a fairly new firearm.

Hard work

With a great deal of hard work, Murdock rose swiftly in the sport of practical shooting, moving from D Class in 2002 to the Master Class four years later. He mastered the rudiments of the sport, which measures the athlete's ability to shoot rapidly and accurately with a full-power handgun, rifle or shotgun.

The US Nationals begin on September 11 and end on September 19. Murdock leaves today for training in Orlando, Florida, for a four-day training stint before flying out to Las Vegas.

Murdock's long-term goal is to represent Jamaica in the air pistol event at the 2012 London Olympics. To achieve this, however, he not only needs a coach but lots of sponsorship to provide the equipment and to pay for the training.