Luke Cain (born 3 February 1980) is an SH2-classified Australian shooter who became a paraplegic after an accident while playing Australian rules football. He started competing in 2007, as the sport suited his disability, and has been a Victorian Institute of Sport scholarship holder since 2008. He first represented Australia internationally in 2009 at a World Cup event in South Korea. He has also represented Australia in two Paralympic Games including the 2016 Rio Paralympics.[1]

Luke Cain
2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1980-02-03) 3 February 1980 (age 44)
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportShooting
Event(s)10m air rifle prone
10m air rifle standing
ClubSpringvale Range Club

Personal

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Cain was born on 3 February 1980 in Rosebud, Victoria.[2][3][4] He started playing Australian rules football when he was seven years old for the Rye Football Club. He played senior football for Rosebud Football Club as a full-forward.[5] In August 1999, at the age of nineteen, he was playing for Rosebud in a game against Hastings Football Club when he broke his neck after being sandwiched between a teammate and an opposing player.[5][6][7][8][9] He is a paraplegic,[5] and requires use of a wheelchair because of paralysis that affects him from the chest down. He has limited use of his fingers and no use of his hands.[7][8] Before his accident, he participated in a range of sports, including basketball, athletics, waterskiing, kneeboarding and wakeboarding.[5][9] After his accident, he continued in some sports, including angling.[3] As of 2012, he resides in Boneo, Victoria.[3][4]

His cousin is Travis Cloke, an AFL All-Australian full-forward.[6] Cain has been an inspiration to his cousin on the football field.[6] At the same time, Cloke has supported Cain.[7] Other cousins include AFL players Jason Cloke and Cameron Cloke.[3]

Shooting

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Cain shooting at the 2012 London Paralympics

Cain is an SH2-classified shooter competing in 10m air rifle prone and 10m air rifle standing events.[2] He has been a Victorian Institute of Sport scholarship holder since 2008,[6] and is a member of the Springvale Range Club.[2] He is coached by Miro Sipek as an individual and when on the national team.[3]

As a youngster, Cain hunted with his father and cousin.[5] He took up the sport of shooting because it was one of the few available to people with his physical limitations.[8] As of 2012, he was sponsored by Miall's Gun Shop of Frankston, Victoria, who provided him with competition gear including cleaning supplies, a rifle case and a rifle. He holds two world records, one in the individual 600–600 R4 prone event, and another in the R4 10-metre standing event.[8][10]

Cain started competing in 2007, and made the Australian national team the same year.[2][11] During Australia's 2009 domestic series, the Australia Cup, an invitation-only series for the top shooters in the country,[12] he earned a bronze, silver and gold medal.[2] That year, he made his national team debut at an international event when he represented Australia at the 2009 ISSF World Cup in South Korea.[9] By early 2010, he was looking for a sponsor to assist with costs for his international competitions.[11] He set a personal best of 598 out of 600 in the SH-2 prone air event at the 2010 World Cup in Germany, and not long after, set a new personal best when he shot 599 at the same event at the 2010 World Cup in France.[9][13] He came in first at the 2010 Oceania Shooting Federation Continental Championship.[8][11] At the 2010 IPC Shooting World Championships in Zagreb,[14] he came in first in the SH-2 prone air event by setting a world record of 600 points, a perfect score.[8][13] At the 2011 Great Britain International, he finished second in the 10m air rifle prone event.[2][15] He competed in the United States-hosted International Paralympic Committee World Cup in 2011,[6] finishing fourth in the R5 Air Rifle Prone event with a score of 599. He earned a gold medal in the team event with teammates Jason Maroney and Bradley Mark.[16] In 2012, he trained up to six days a week.[8] At the Australian nationals, he finished second in the prone event behind New Zealander Michael Johnson, and third in the standing event behind fellow Australian Bradley Marks and Johnson.[17]

Cain was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in Mixed R5-10m Air Rifle Prone-SH2 and Mixed R4-10m Air Rifle Standing-SH2 shooting events.[2][3][8][18][19] Competing on 3 September,[20] he did not medal, finishing 27th in the standing event and 28th in the prone event.[3][21]

Most recently Cain had represented Australia in the 2016 Rio Paralympics. He competed in the Mixed 10 m air rifle standing SH2 and the Mixed 10 m air rifle prone SH2.[22][23] Cain did not medal, placing 26th in the standing event and 33rd in the prone event.

Performance

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Event Competition Date Score Finish Notes Reference
Prone Air – SH2 2012 Summer Paralympics Sept-12 Shot 592 27th [3][21]
Prone Air – SH2 International Paralympic Committee World Cup 2011 Shot 599+105.6 4th [16]
Prone Air – SH2 World Cup GB Oct-10 Shot 598 4th [13][24]
Prone Air – SH2 World Championships Croatia Jul-10 Shot 600 9th New personal best [4][13][24]
Prone Air – SH2 Aus Cup Jul-10 Shot 599 2nd [13][24]
Prone Air – SH2 AISL GP Jul-10 Shot 597 3rd [13]
Prone Air – SH2 World Cup France May-10 Shot 599 9th New personal best [9][13][24]
Prone Air – SH2 World Cup Germany May-10 Shot 598 10th New personal best [9][13][24]
Prone Air – SH2 Australia Cup May-10 Shot 596 1st [13][24]
Prone Air – SH2 Nationals Mar-10 Shot 593 2nd [13]
Prone Air – SH2 Australia Cup Feb-10 Shot 597 2nd [13][24]
Prone Air – SH2 Oceania Dec-09 Shot 597 1st [11][13]
Prone Air – SH2 Aus Cup Final Oct-09 Shot 597 3rd [13]
Prone Air – SH2 Aus Cup Sep-09 Shot 597 1st [13]
Prone Air – SH2 Arafura May-09 Shot 595 3rd [13]
Prone Air – SH2 Korea Cup Apr-09 Shot 596 11th [13]
Prone Air – SH2 Nationals Apr-09 Shot 597 3rd [13]
Prone Air – SH2 Aus Cup Mar-09 Shot 591 3rd [13]
Standing Air – SH2 2012 Summer Paralympics Sept-12 Shot 586 28th [3][21]
Standing Air – SH2 International Paralympic Committee World Cup 2011 Shot 596+103.1 6th [16]
Standing Air – SH2 AISL GP Jul-10 Shot 593 3rd [13]
Standing Air – SH2 World Cup France May-10 Shot 593 11th [13]
Standing Air – SH2 World Cup Germany May-10 Shot 592 13th [13]
Standing Air – SH2 Aus Cup May-10 Shot 586 1st [13]
Standing Air – SH2 Nationals Mar-10 Shot 588 2nd [13]
Standing Air – SH2 Aus Cup Feb-10 Shot 590 2nd [13]
Standing Air – SH2 Oceania Dec-09 Shot 597 2nd [13]
Standing Air – SH2 Aus Cup Final Oct-09 Shot 592 2nd [13]
Standing Air – SH2 Aus Cup Sep-09 Shot 594 1st [13]
Standing Air – SH2 Arafura May-09 Shot 587 2nd [13]
Standing Air – SH2 Korea Cup Apr-09 Shot 587 10th [13]
Standing Air – SH2 Nationals Apr-09 Shot 592 2nd [13]
Standing Air – SH2 Aus Cup Mar-09 Shot 592 2nd [13]

References

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  1. ^ "Six Australian shooters to target Paralympic gold in Rio". Australian Paralympic Committee News. 17 May 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Luke Cain". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Luke Cain". London 2012 Paralympics. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  4. ^ a b c "Paralympics Athlete Bio". BigPond Sport. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e "A bit about me". Luke Cain. Retrieved 16 September 2012.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ a b c d e "Luke guns for gold, Trav aims at flag". Melbourne, Victoria: Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  7. ^ a b c Langmaid, Aaron (28 September 2010). "Travis won't choke in AFL Grand Final replay says Cloke family". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Morris, Deborah. "Olympic gold in his sight for Boneo star". Mornington Peninsula Leader. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Luke Cain". Osa Brands. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  10. ^ "My Sponsors". Luke Cain. Retrieved 16 September 2012.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ a b c d McEvoy, Simon (27 January 2010). "CAN YOU HELP? On target for world title". Mornington Peninsula Leader. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  12. ^ "AISL Competitions". Australian International Shooting Limited. Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae "Achievements". lukecainshooting.com. Retrieved 16 September 2012.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ "Welcome to the 2010 IPC Shooting World Championships, Zagreb, Croatia". Croatian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 29 January 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  15. ^ "Shooting Luke Cain wins world shooting medal". Weekly Times Now. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2012.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ a b c "Australia shines at the IPC World Cup, Fort Benning". Ausshooting.org. 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  17. ^ "2012 NATIONALS". Tra.org.au. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  18. ^ "APC". APC. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  19. ^ Niav Owens (23 July 2012). "Kosmala shoots for her 11th Games –". ABC News. Australia: ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  20. ^ "Paralympics London 2012 – Day Three – 4:00 am Sunday, September 02 2012". ABC Television. 2 September 2012. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  21. ^ a b c "So Close: Aussies edged out at the Paralympics". Sport Shooting Magazine. 3 September 2012. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  22. ^ "Shooting: Day three preview". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  23. ^ "Luke Cain". Rio 2016 Paralympics. Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Retrieved 22 September 2016.[permanent dead link]
  24. ^ a b c d e f g "Luke Cain". Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS). 2 March 1980. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
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