Young shooter Haritz a little out of sync
For young national shooter Haritz Iklil Hessly Hafiz, fitness is not an issue at all. But aiming is – especially if you have been away for three months.
When the government announced that shooting ranges could operate from June 15, the 20-year-old returned to the National Shooting Range in Subang for training with his state, Selangor.
But Haritz admitted that the first day of training was a little wonky as his shooting felt “out of tune”.
“It felt a bit tough because I had to find my tune, but I was excited to be back after three months without any shooting,” he said.
“The first thing I did was to remember and imagine how my shooting position was, and after that, I tried to replicate them in the first few sessions. Instead of the targets, I mostly focused on positioning and fixing them.
“I have maintained my fitness quite well during the movement control order period. To be honest, facing this situation was tougher than expected, but as a sportsman, you have to accept any situation.
“I am prepared for the new normal, and my goals have not wavered,” said Haritz, one of the rising stars in the national shooting fraternity.
In the men’s 10m air rifle event of the Selangor Shooting Championships in February, Haritz upstaged big names like Mohd Ezuan Nasir Khan and Mohd Lutfi Othman to win the gold medal.
That performance saw him being selected to the national squad but he has no idea when training with the national team would start.
“It’s still a mystery, and I am just looking forward to it. For me, any new experience is exciting.
“My hope this year is to get some good competition exposure and learn from my senior shooters.
“Obviously, the year 2021 will be important for me because I want to be at my best for the Malaysia Games (Sukma) and the SEA Games in Vietnam. This year’s training and competitions will be geared towards that.
“I would love to end my Sukma career by winning as many golds possible for Selangor. If selected for the SEA Games, I want to make my debut a fruitful one.”