JOHNATHAN STRIKES AGAIN
Pistol expert wins gold after delaying his retirement for one more shot
JOHNATHAN Wong’s decision to remain in the sport proved to be the right one as he recaptured his men’s 10m air pistol title at the Hanoi Sea Games today.
Johnathan took the gold medal after recording 238.6 points in the elimination format final at the Hanoi National
Training Centre.
Vietnam’s
Tran Quoc
Cong came in second on
236.6, while Indonesia’s Iqbal
Raia Prabowo 214.2 claimed the bronze.
Johnathan, an aerospace engineer, had won the gold in the event at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur edition but finished off the podium in fourth in Manila three years ago.
A delighted Johnathan, 30, was happy and relieved to win the
gold again.
“I felt a bit of pressure as I did not perform as well as I wanted to in my first event earlier this week (men’s 50m pistol),” said Johnathan, who represented Malaysia in the same event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“At the start, I felt some nerves, but then I remembered my coaches’ advice to stop thinking about everything and just do the best.
“I managed to start really well and that put pressure on my opponents. Towards the end of the
competition, it was almost as if I could not feel the trigger. I was only aiming and waiting for the explosion (of the gun).
“I also wanted to bounce back strong in this event as I had failed to finish on the podium in Manila Sea. That was the low point of my career, and I was feeling so down.
“I had actually contemplated quitting the sport after Manila but then had a chance to rethink things when the Covid-19 pandemic first broke out in 2020.
“I still felt that I could contribute, not only in winning medals but also by helping guide the juniors in the team.
“I am so grateful to be able to recapture the gold here. It means a lot to me.”
In addition to the 10m air pistol gold, Johnathan won silver in the 50m pistol at the 2017 edition.
He will compete in the mixed team 10m air pistol event tomorrow.