BACK WITH A BANG
Podium programme dropouts on target at SEASA championships
IT was a great victory for Podium programme dropouts Nur Suryani Taibi and Muslifah Zulkifli at the Southeast Asian Shooting Championships (SEASA) in Subang yesterday.
The two were dropped from the programme in February and had to surrender their rifles and other equipment to the National Sports Council (NSC), who are the gun licence holders.
It was a matter of procedure but Nur Suryani and Muslifah were forced to withdraw from a recent local meet as the rifles were only released a day before competition.
However, the duo have put the controversy behind them as they are now allowed to train with the ‘Kita Juara’ Sea Games programme shooters under South Korean coach Park Sang Soon.
Yesterday, the 35-year-old Nur Suryani, who is a mother of two, along with Muslifah and Haslisa Hamed won the women’s 50m rifle prone team gold medal for Malaysia with a combined score of 1,754 points.
Singapore finished second on 1,740 points while Vietnam took third with 1,735.
Nur Suryani also picked up the bronze in the rifle prone individual final with a 589 series, behind champion Acuna Amparo Teresa of the Philippines (591) and silver medallist Thi Thu Kyaw of Myanmar (590).
“I am excited training under Sang Soon as he was my coach when I took part in my first Sea Games t the 2001 Kuala Lumpur edition,” said Nur Suryani at Subang Shooting Range yesterday.
“In that edition, I managed one gold in the 50m rifle three-position with Nurul Hudda Baharin and Roslina Bakar.
"I hope to get into the Sea Games squad as it will be a unique achievement as I am the only one left from the 2001 edition.”
Nur Suryani said it will be great to add her collection of gold medals in the upcoming Sea Games, although, there are no team events this time.
“I am not finished yet with shooting. I will carry on as long I can. Sang Soon has been very helpful and I am learning a lot from the Korean,” said Nur Suryani, a double gold medallist (10m air rifle and 50m rifle threeposition) in the 2011 Indonesia edition.
RESULTS — Men’s 25m standard pistol: 1 Phan Cong Minh (Vie) 569, 2 Gai Bin (Sin) 565, 3 Hasli Izwan Amir Hasan (Mas) 564; Team: 1 Vietnam 1,682, 2 Malaysia 1,660, 3 Hong Kong 1,639.
Women’s 10m air pistol: 1 Shing Ho Ching (Hkg) 239.80, Teo Shun Xie (Sin) 236.20, 3 Pham Thi Ha (Vie) 214.90; Team: 1 Singapore 1,133, 2 Malaysia 1,127, 3 Hong Kong 1,115.
50m rifle prone: Acuna Amparo Teresa (Phi) 591, 2 Thu Thu Kyaw (Mya) 590, 3 Nur Suryani Taibi (Mas) 589; Team: 1 Malaysia 1,754, 2 Singapore 1,740, 3 Vietnam 1,735.