Yorkton has its own mark on the 2012 Summer Olympics in London as Corey Neifer looks to give Yorkton and Canada gold in the shooting events. Neifer, a product of Yorkton qualified for the 10m air rifle event as well as the 50m rifle prone discipline.
Neifer, who is a product of Yorkton has been involved in shooting for a long time and at thirty-five gets the opportunity of a lifetime as he gets the honor of representing his country in the Olympics.
Neifer started his shooting career with the Yorkton Army and Cadet Corps where his talent led to being encouraged to pursue competitive shooting. From there Neifer has embarked on a very successful shooting career, being a national champion in the sport for over a decade, showing longevity in the sport as well as amassing a wealth of knowledge for shooting. This experience led to Neifer becoming a coach for the Canadian shooting team in 2008 during the Beijing Olympics, giving Neifer his first taste of Olympic experience before embarking on qualifying for the games as a competitor. Neifer was the first Canadian athlete to qualify for the London games after finishing second in the 10m air rifle in the 2010 American Continental Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The second place showing earned Neifer an Olympic quota spot in the 2012 games and the honor of being the first individual Canadian athlete to do so.
Neifer also had a successful pre-Olympic campaign, coming off a 2011 season that saw him place in the top-five at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico and place first at the Canadian International Grand Prix in Toronto. With solid results and experience, Neifer has a chance to have a strong showing in his two events at the Olympics.
Neifer recently finished 26th at the London Pre-Olympic World Cup. Where he shot a World Cup Personal Best of 594/600. Cory shot 18 10's to start the match, leading in 1st place for almost a third of the match. If Neifer can continue the momentum and personal best performances he has been showing leading up to the Olympics, he might just have a chance to make things interesting for Canada if he can advance to the medal rounds.
Regardless of how Neifer finishes the 2012 Games will serve as a great reward for a lifelong dedication to the sport as he receives the prestigious honor of representing his country as an Olympian.
Neifer said on a release from his website " I look forward to the challenge of competing at the Olympics amongst my shooting peers and joining Team Canada in pursuit of our Excellence. He also gave a "sincere thank you to those that have supported me on this journey of competitive shooting over the last 24 years," as well as saying that it is an honor to be named to the 2012 Canadian Olympic Team.
This month will serve as the climax of a twenty-four year chapter for Neifer, and serves as a example of what can be achieved if you dedicate yourself to something. Neifer now has the chance to represent his province, city, and country on arguably the world's biggest stage after twenty-four years of practice, training, coaching, and competing in shooting. A lifelong journey that started in Yorkton, Saskatchewan will now end in one of the world's most iconic cities and on one of the world's biggest stages.
The shooting events of the London Olympics go until August sixth, Neifer will compete in the 50m air rifle prone on August 3 at two a.m. local time with the medal round taking place at five a.m.
