Blessing in disguise
Pandemic a shot in the arm for golden gunner Johnathan
THREE years ago, shooter Johnathan Wong was down in the dumps and considered quitting the sport after finishing fourth in the 10m air pistol final of the Manila SEA Games.
The pandemic gave him time for thought, and he decided that he could make a comeback.
And he did that in style, by gunning down the 10m air pistol gold with a superb performance. He won with 238.6 points, leaving Vietnam’s Quoc Tran Cuong trailing for silver with 236.6. Indonesia’s Muhammad Prabowo won the bronze with a score of 214.2.
Still, Johnathan said it had been nerve-wracking, especially after his dismal showing in the 50m pistol where he finished 13th.
“I felt pressure after the 50m event. When I qualified for the 10m air pistol final, I told myself that this was my hope to win something in Hanoi.
“In the beginning, I was scared and hesitant, but my coach (Mohd Firdaus Abd Rahim) told me to just do my job and not care what happens.
“Despite the great start and the sizeable lead I took, I was nervous. At times, I could not feel the trigger at all,” said the 29-year-old. “Towards the end, though, the fear disappeared and it became fun. When I saw what the Vietnam shooter was doing, I just wanted to finish the event.
“I knew my good lead would put the other shooters under pressure, but the Vietnamese shooter did make a huge comeback.
“I will be honest, I was very nervy. But it’s good to show that I can come back.
“This win means a lot to me, a lot. After what happened in Manila, this is special. Plus, I snatched back the gold I won in the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur,” he added.
“Manila was my low point. I thought of quitting, but the pandemic gave me time to think about my direction in the sport, and I felt I could give more.
“I could not only win golds for Malaysia but also guide the juniors.”
Guiding the juniors can wait. Right now, Johnathan has a chance to win another gold when he takes part in the mixed team event tomorrow with debutant Nurul Syasya Nadiah Mohd Arifin.