​Sharpshooter Bradley McDowell wins Junior Rural Sportsperson of the Year

Bradley Mcdowell (Whanganui High School) has won the third annual Junior Rural Sportsperson of the Year Award.

McDowell first started cowboy shooting at 12 years old, and has been New Zealand junior champion in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

He is currently New Zealand North Island overall men's champion, New Zealand overall men's champion, Wyoming State junior champion, 2018 World junior champion, 2018 World’s fastest junior cowboy title, and is currently ranked seventh in the World overall men's Championships.

McDowell achieved his world title at the age of 16 and is youngest New Zealand shooter to do so.

His goal is to become the world's number one shooter and to get more young people introduced to the sport in New Zealand.

The award was presented by Olympic and Commonwealth Games triathlete Tony Dodds.

The other finalists were equestrian Briar Burnett-Grant (Taupō-nui-a-Tia College, 2018) and harness racer Sheree Tomlinson (Darfield High School, 2016).

Burnett-Grant won the 2018 Olympic Cup, the Premier League Series and a World Cup event, and placed in the top three in the 2018-19 FEI World Cup Series.
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Tomlinson has made a big impression in a short space of time in harness racing. She dominated the Australasian Young Drivers Championship in Australia. She led from the early stages, takin both Well Fancied and Rough Chance horses to victory to gain maximum points. This followed her history-making win in the 2017 Dominion Handicap – New Zealand’s most famous race for trotting horses. 

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