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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Levin, NZL |
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Cricket, golf, tennis. (ISSF, 2013) |
| Famous relatives | His father Grant Taylor competed in shooting at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, and at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, VIC, Australia alongside Ryan. (sportmanawatu.org.nz, 2009; radio.nz 23 Jul 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | His father was a competitive shooter at elite level, and after following him to the local club one day he decided to take it up as well. |
| Handedness | Right eye, right hand |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He first tried shooting in 1991 and began competing in 1997. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Tradesperson |
| Languages | English |
General Interest | |
| Other information | TIME OFF AHEAD OF RIO After breaking a finger on his left hand while playing cricket in early 2016, he decided to take a break from competition in the lead-up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "[The injury] has actually helped out by making me have a break. I'd pretty much shot for two years straight and didn't have a break at all. Even when I went to the [Olympic] qualifiers in December [2015] at the Oceania Championship, I was just burning out." (stuff.co.nz, 09 Mar 2016) LONDON APPEAL For the 2012 Olympic Games in London, New Zealand's sole quota place for shooting was initially awarded to trap shooter Natalie Rooney after the New Zealand Olympic Committee [NZOC] decided Taylor had not met the selection criteria. He successfully appealed the decision after it was revealed that the NZOC had received incomplete results information, and that his recent performances were enough to meet the selection criteria. His place on New Zealand's 2012 Olympic team was finally confirmed three weeks before the Games, where he finished 25th. "The [2012] Olympic Games were a nightmare. I had been so stressed leading up to them that I couldn't really enjoy them. If what happened last time happened again [in 2016] I just wouldn't bother." (sportstribunal.org.nz, 20 Jul 2012; stuff.co.nz, 12 Jul 2012, 07 Jul 2012; nzherald.co.nz; 23 Jun 2013; stuff.co.nz, 09 Mar 2016) FATHER-SON SHOOT OFF He has found himself competing against his father Grant at international events, including a shoot-off at the Oceania Regional Championships in Brisbane, QLD, Australia, in which his father prevailed to take the gold medal. In 2006, father and son competed together at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, VIC, Australia. (m2006.thecgf.com, 01 Mar 2006) |
| Injuries | In 2016 he broke a finger on his left hand while playing cricket for Levin Old Boys Cricket Club in New Zealand. (stuff.co.nz, 09 Mar 2016) |
| Other sports | He has played representative cricket for Horowhenua-Kapiti in New Zealand. (sportmanawatu.org.nz, 12 Sep 2011) |
| Hero / Idol | US shooter Matthew Emmons. (sportmanawatu.org.nz, 12 Sep 2011) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Daughter Skye Taylor. |