Let’s shoot virtually
Johnathan wants NSAM to organise local online matches
PETALING JAYA: An Indonesian virtual shooting experience has whetted Olympian Johnathan Wong’s appetite for more.
Having benefited from the stints, pistol shooter Johnathan is hoping for the National Shooting Association of Malaysia (NSAM) to copy what their neighbours have done in organising online matches for the national shooters to keep them on their toes.
Over the last two weeks, the national shooters have taken part in online matches organised by the Indonesia Shooting Association. They participated in the back- to- back Jateng Online Shoot Series 3 and Piala Panglima TNI.
They participated under the exhibition athletes category, which allowed them to shoot only in the qualification stages.
Still, Johnathan was thankful for the opportunity given by their Indonesian counterparts and said
it was a good platform to assess their performance.
“We joined so that we can try out the online match system and see whether we can apply it here,” said the 28-year-old.
“We were able to analyse our abilities after months of movement control order break.
“Also, we wanted to see the effectiveness of the current training programme, so that we can improve and prepare ourselves for any upcoming events.”
Johnathan admitted that it took some adjusting for him to shoot via the virtual world, but believed the national body could adopt it.
“The difference is the lack of spectators.
“Better regulations should be drafted for this kind of virtual matches too,” he said.
“I’ve shared my experience to NSAM and I believe they are currently trying to draft a complete guide on how Malaysia can also host virtual games for the national level soon.
Johnathan is currently training under a new national pistol coach Mohd Firdaus Abdul Rahim, who previously coached in Negri Sembilan and Johor.
“He came in last month. It may take some time for us to understand each other better but I hope we’ll come out with a more suitable programme that can be tailor- made to my needs,” said Johnathan.
“I’m happy with my progress so far and hopefully, I can reach my previous level by the end of the year.”