1975 World Shoot I
Zurich, Switzerland

Ray Chapman

The first Practical Pistol Championship was held in 1975 at Zurich, Switzerland and. It is perhaps appropriate that the first IPSC Champion was Ray Chapman of the United States as he helped develop the sport we all enjoy today. The sport has advanced a great deal from those early days in the 50s when Ray started shooting with a Colt Single Action Revolver but later changed to a Colt 1911 45 ACP.

In the South West Pistol League were some of the best practical pistol shooters in the world and Ray soon staked his claim as one of the best by winning the South West Pistol League (SWPL) Annual Championship in 1964, 1967, and 1970. By 1975 his ability with a handgun was renowned and he entered the World Championships seeded number one. The seeding proved correct, with an almost perfect score, dropping only one point throughout the match his superb performance in mastering power, speed and accuracy left no doubt that he was the best practical pistol shooter and World Champion. Ray continued to compete until retiring in 1979.

1976 World Shoot II
Saltzburg, Austria

Jan Foss

The 1976 Championship in Saltzburg, Austria saw Ray Chapman having to settle for second place after being beaten by Jan Foss of Norway by a very small margin. Little is known of this quiet and modest Norwegian and his winning of the title in 1976 was a complete surprise. Not many people got to know much about him or the rest of the Norwegian team. Those who saw Jan and the rest of the team shoot could see they were not newcomers to the sport but very little was uncovered about their previous shooting experience.

Jan Foss departed Saltzburg as World Champion but never appeared at any future championships but this does not alter the fact that he too had mastered power, speed and accuracy with his 9mm Sig 210.

1977 World Shoot III
Salisbury, Rhodesia

Dave Westerhout

1977 saw another new venue for the championship, Salisbury Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and once again Ray Chapman was highly seeded along with Dave Westerhout. Dave who had represented both Britain and Rhodesia internationally in athletics used a 9mm Browning Hi-Power that he had prepared himself in a championship where IPSC was considered to have come of age. Unlike previous championships which consisted of a number small speed shoots with 60 or so rounds being shot the match in Rhodesia consisted of larger and more varied stages which required in excess of 200 rounds to be fired.

British born Dave's success can be attributed to his athletic ability, marksmanship and speed and when you consider that as chairman of the Rhodesian IPSC, his training had to be fitted in around all the work required to host the match it makes his achievement all the more remarkable. Dave has since turned his attention to International Pistol Shooting and has represented Zimbabwe at the 1980 Moscow Olympics in Rapid Fire Pistol.

1979 World Shoot IV
Johannesburg, South Africa

Jimmy Von Sorgenfrei

After the 1977 championships subsequent matches were to be held every two years and the venue for the 1979 match was Johannesburg, South Africa. South Africa had a very active practical pistol interest but the lead up to the '79 championship saw this interest boosted at a tremendous rate. Because of this increase the standard of shooting was very high and competition to be selected for the South African team was extremely keen. Jimmy Von Sorgenfrei was one those to make it into the five man team.

Jimmy, a little known shooter outside of South Africa seemed to appear from nowhere to gain his place in the South African Team, improving his performance consistently throughout the year before the championship and this resulted in him entering the championship as one the top seeds. With a stunning display of power, speed and accuracy, Jimmy Von Sorgenfrei became the new World Champion using a John Hall (South Africa) prepared Colt 1911 45 ACP.

1981 World Shoot V
Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ross Seyfried

Now we see the time when the Americans start to put their stamp of authority back on the sport they developed. With the 1981 Championship being held in Johannesburg, it was time for the title to come home again.

Ross Seyfried had already made a name for himself by winning the 1978 U.S. National Championship and was a member of the second placed National team in the 1979 Championship. Now the Americans were to return with a vengeance taking both the team and, Ross Seyfried, the individual honors. Ross became the 1981 World Champion using surprisingly stock type equipment, a Colt .45 prepared by Pachmayr with very few bells and whistles -- an accuracy and trigger job combined with a good set of iron sights. A far cry from today's race guns.

1983 World Shoot VI
Virginia, USA

1986 World Shoot VII
Florida, USA

1988 World Shoot VIII
Caracas, Venezuela

Rob Leatham

Ross Seyfried made another appearance at the World Championships in 1983 in Virginia USA. This time though he could not retain the title but he was a member of the national team which did win. It was another American that took the individual title for 1983, one Rob Leatham.

Few shooters in the world can lay claim to so many titles as Rob. Reading through the awe inspiring list of successes makes us wonder what you have to do to achieve this standard. Rob started shooting as a teenager with his father and has gone from strength to strength with stunningly quick performances that have given him the USPSA Nationals in 1983, 84, 85, 86, 88 and 89, IPSC World Champion 1983, 86 and 88 and many other titles.

Rob Leatham is a competitor that displays a remarkable control over the stress that is prevalent in these big match situations. It is likely that Rob, in fact, shoots better when under stress. He has his own unique style and prefers the isosceles stance to the more conventional Weaver which was more common amongst practical shooters at the time. His equipment for the '83 Championship was a Wilson Accu-comp Colt 45 carried in a hip holster, vertically angled. Rob has since changed to .38 super, still by Wilson.

1990 World Shoot IX
Adelaide, Australia

Doug Koenig

1990 and the world championship venue moved to Adelaide, Australia and the US National Team does it again with a new American name taking the individual title, Doug Koenig.

Doug has been interested in shooting since he was eleven taking first place on a hunting safety course, but it was not until 1989 that he developed an interest in IPSC shooting. Spotted at a local shooting club his ability with a hand gun was soon realized. His good hand eye coordination gave him the natural ability that made him a "shooting star" on the IPSC circuit. He was the first competitor to use red dot sights at a level 5 match.

1993 World Shoot X
Bisley, England

Matt Mclearn

1993 Bisley, England saw a new star rising. Matt Mclearn swept the field with his always strong performance. Just coming off the U.S. Nationals win, Matt was ready to grab the gold ring. Canadian born from Nova Scotia, he moved to the U.S. five years prior to pursue his gunsmithing training and to move up into the competitive arena. A move, we are sure, Matt was pleased to have made.

1996 World Shoot XI
Brasilia, Brazil

Todd Jarrett

Todd Jarrett, 32 years of age, a native Virginian living just outside Richmond, and now the IPSC World Champion!

Todd started hunting at the age of 6 and only started shooting competitively 12 years ago. He worked hard and since 1990 he had established himself as a major player by finishing in the top 4 of the US Nationals every year except one.

He worked extra hard getting ready for Brazil and WSXI and his steady performance showed it. Todd says, "It's really amazing, the harder I work, the luckier I get."

1999 World Shoot XII
Cebu, Philippines

Eric Grauffel

Eric Grauffel, an 18 year old French student, has already won most of the titles in Europe and now holds the title IPSC World Champion!

"When I arrived in Cebu, I knew that every top shooter was able to win this title. Maybe this time luck was on my side. It's been a very tough week for all of us; physically and nervously. But as usual, it ends in friendship and good cheer."
Eric Grauffel, IPSC World Champion

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