A few months ago Shayon Francis was one of those who dabbled in sport shooting for fun. Nowadays, her appetite for competition is rather surprising.
Francis, who was introduced to the sport by Superintendent Steve Brown, grew in confidence with each shot along the way and later engaged in a few local competitions as part of Jamaica's Super Six elite all-female team, which has progressed steadily alongside its male counterparts.
So it was only natural that Francis and her teammates — Corporal Kayla Keane, Detective Corporal Sasha-gay Mullings, Renee Rickhi, and Yeonie Campbell — gave a good account of themselves on their first international outing at the Pan American Handgun Championship in Florida.
The other team member, Shevanese Session, recently replaced Sheresa Solan as the sixth member of the outfit but did not make the trip.
Still, their historic feat went beyond being the first all-female team to represent Jamaica at a major shooting tournament as they placed third behind the United Sates and Brazil in the Production Optics Division.
The ladies shot 24 stages across four gruelling days to secure a podium spot — which may have come as a surprise to many, but not so for Francis.
In fact, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) police constable pointed out that they went wide of the intended target.
"I'm extremely happy with our third-place achievement. We shot really well, competed really hard, and obviously encouraged each other along the way — which resulted in our finish.