Shaun Barnes 'aiming' for his Olympic dreams

Shaun Barnes, six-time national shotgun champion and martial artist, has shelved his career in sales to pursue his dream of becoming the first Jamaican to qualify for skeet shooting at the Olympics.

Barnes decided to take the plunge to his true passion after a 13-year career.

“I did very good at sales, but it wasn’t what I love, and my wife highlighted that. I wasn’t motivated to do sales, but I just gave a 100 per cent. Shooting is really what captures me and keeps me up at night,” Barnes said.

Taking the leap

He said it took him six months to hand in his resignation letter after writing it due to anxiety and fear of the unknown, adding that he had to ask his wife to take him to work on that fateful day as he felt weak in his knees.

“After resigning from what I knew, I had a two-week period where it was taking a toll on me and I couldn’t sleep, wondering what next,” he explained.

How it began

Barnes’ fascination with shooting began at a young age while going bird hunting with his father and uncle, both avid bird shooters. Barnes took to slingshots and stones as his way of participating in hitting the targets.

His love for the sport grew over time, which saw him transition from slingshots to a gun. He eventually became a professional shooter.

He has entered competitions locally and internationally and has garnered success.

Along with being six-time national shotgun champion, Barnes was the first Jamaican to participate in the Pan American and Commonwealth Games in 2011 in Mexico. He was also the co-captain of Jamaica's contingent for the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia, and that same year, he competed in the Gamaliel Cup in Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States.

At the US event, he shot the highest score for an international shooter and placed first in the AA class.

Olympic dream

Building on his achievements, he is pushing himself further to become the first Jamaican to qualify for the Olympics in skeet shooting.

Seeking to sharpen his skills, Barnes reached out to globally recognised shooter and coach Gebben Miles to assist him in his endeavours.

After building an online relationship with Barnes, Gebben invited him to visit him in Texas, where they conducted successful sessions.

In photo: Shaun Barnes (right) and Barnes Gebben

The professional tour champion has since journeyed to Jamaica to continue coaching Barnes to help better his chances of qualifying for the Olympics.

Gebben said he decided to work with Barnes due to his desire to get better at shooting and to impact others in a positive way.

“Jamaica has a relatively small shooting community compared to other countries in the world, so I think it will be super special for Shaun to make a splash on the world scene and bring a lot of positive impact to Jamaica,” Gebben said.

He said that he wants to increase Barnes' practice time so that he can get on par with his competitors.

The two say they are on a mission to go all the way.

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