Cecilia Lindberg's experiences of the 2022 IPSC Handgun World Shoot XIX

Cecilia Lindberg's experiences of the 2022 IPSC Handgun World Shoot XIX

Tell us about the World Shoot competition in Thailand?

The 2022 IPSC Handgun World Shoot XIX took place between November 27th and December 3rd in Pattaya, Thailand, 2022. A total of 1345 competitors from 73 countries faced 30 challenging stages. The divisions consisted of Open, Production Optics, Production, Standard, Revolver, and Classic, with corresponding categories such as Lady, Junior, and more.

The stages challenged me as a shooter in many ways, including long and short distances, quick short movements, longer movements, different types of moving targets that I had never seen before, and much more. Technically speaking, it was a difficult match. The stations were very well-built, and the staff weas very friendly and professional.

Overall, the competition was very well-organized, with great facilities for parking, toilets, and food. The opening and closing ceremonies were also very well-organized.

How did the competition go?

The match lasted for 6 days and I competed for 5 half days, shooting 6 stages per day. The shooting times varied between 06:30-11:30 or 13:30-16:40.

When I arrived in Thailand, I had severe stomach problems that persisted until day 4 of the match. This resulted in my body being heavily affected and feeling completely weak, with difficulty thinking clearly. In hindsight, I have realized that my biggest area for improvement is mental preparation. I had difficulty accepting my new circumstances and became very stressed in the situation I found myself in. One of my strongest qualities as a dynamic shooter is my speed, which made it extra difficult for me when my body gave up and I kind of lost my speed.

On the first stage, I was so nervous that my whole body was shaking, which surprised me. I knew, of course, that I would be nervous, but not to this extent, especially as I felt very well prepared for the match. After the first stage, I started to feel that my body was tired and that my mind was not fully present, but I could still manage mentally despite making several big mistakes during the day. When this continued on day 2 and 3, my stress level increased, and I shot worse on some stages. In the evening of day 3, I accepted my new circumstances and that I could not significantly affect them. I decided then to do the best with what I had at the moment.

On day 4, my body and mind felt better. I had also accepted my new circumstances, which allowed me to start delivering more of what I had. I still made some mistakes during the last two days, but not as significant as before. The atmosphere in the national team was good, and we all helped each other to solve the
challenges we faced.

My goal for the match was to win in the Lady Category, but I did not achieve this and finished third instead.
Looking back on this adventure, I am still overall satisfied with my performance under the circumstances that I had. However, I am not satisfied with my result in the match. The mental pain will remain for a long time. I also take with me the fact that I had prepared in every way I could regarding training for the match. I feel a joy in having given my full effort in my preparation, even if the result was not what I desired.

Several important lessons were learned, and I am working on them now in preparation for the European Championship.

How were you affected by competing in another country? How was the weather and
how did it affect you?

Like many other shooters, I had difficulties with the hot and humid climate in Thailand. Dealing with the heat alone is one thing as you can do a lot of things to make it easier for yourself. What I have in mind is obvious things such as being in the shade as much as possible (hat, umbrella, etc.), sun protection, drinking a lot of water with electrolytes, using ice to cool down the body, and more. I preferred to shoot in the morning because the heat increased as the day progressed. Sometimes, I could even experience the first two hours as pleasant.

It was also an extra challenge to shoot a stage at sunrise and sunset due to the strong backlight that occurred.

In summary, the jungle climate is not a climate that I prefer to be active in 😉

What did your training consist of leading up to this competition?

In March, I started shooting optics and that journey has offered a lot of new challenges and lessons as the season progressed. The preparation for World Shoot actually began throughout the season in the form of all the training and competitions carried out from March to November.

During this period, I trained regularly in both physical, mental, and shooting aspects. As the World Shoot approached, I trained more on shooting and less on physical training. Unfortunately, there was also less mental training due to unforeseen events.

Overall, my training focused on constantly improving the areas where I was currently weakest. After the stages were published, I made a training schedule based on specific elements that they contained. I then integrated these elements into my regular training during the final weeks before the competition.

Will you change anything in the way you train?

Yes, I will. I will focus my mental training on the areas where it is needed the most, such as handling unexpected events/conditions better. As for the other training, I will continue as I have done before with ongoing small adjustments as needed. And hopefully, I will have at least one training session with Eric Grauffel before EHC.

What are your goals and upcoming competitions to look forward to?

Wow! I have a whole competition season to look forward to where I will compete in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Czech Republic, and Greece among others. I have posted my match schedule on my social media for those who are more interested in which matches I will be participating in.

My next big goal is to perform as well as possible during the EHC in Greece which takes place in September. Soooo let the journey begin!