World champion shooter Susan Nattrass will carry Canada's flag at the opening ceremonies of next month's Pan American Games in Brazil, it was announced on Thursday.

Nattrass, 56, will be competing in her fourth straight Pan Am Games, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro from July 13 to 29.

Susan Nattrass, seen at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, was named Pan Am flag-bearer on Thursday.
(COC-Andre Forget/Canadian Press)

Nattrass won the women's world trap shooting championship in Croatia last year. It was her 29th straight trip to the world championships, her 15th medal and her seventh win.

She finished sixth at the Athens Games in 2006, her first appearance in the medal round in five Olympics appearances.

Nattrass was the recipient of the Lou Marsh Trophy for Canadian athlete of the year in 1981 and is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

She has said she plans to retire in 2009 at the world championships in her native Edmonton.

With files from the Canadian Press