NSAM tell Podium discards to get cracking

PETALING JAYA: Stop sulking and get cracking.

That’s the advice the National Shooting Association of Malaysia (NSAM) have for all their shooters who were booted out from the Podium Programme last Thursday,

“I hope our shooters will pick themselves up, prove their worth and try to get back in. The door is never shut,” said NSAM honorary secretary Adam Tee.

NSAM, who already had four rifle shooters in the Podium Programme, tried to get two more names included last week.

Pistol shooter Johnathan Wong, who competed in last year’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and promising shotgun specialist Benjamin Khor were the two names recommended to the Programme administrators, the National Sports Institute (NSI).

Neither made it when the NSI named their latest intake of 117 athletes last Thursday.

Worse still, all the four rifle shooters from last year’s batch – Nur Suryani Taibi, Mohd Ezuan Nasir Khan, Muslifah Zulkifli and Nur Ayuni Farhana Abdul Halim – were also axed due to poor form.

Of the 14 able-bodied sports under the Programme, shooting was the only sport to get the chop.

“If you don’t perform, you’re out. It’s as simple as that ... the NSI have made it clear from the start,” said Adam.

“Getting into the Programme doesn’t mean you’re there forever. I’m sure these shooters had been given chances and told to buck up if they were found under-performing.

“In the end, if you still don’t ... then the NSI have a decision to make.”

Suryani, Ezuan, Muslifah and Nur Ayuni were drafted into the Programme by virtue of being medallists in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, but they failed to live up to expectations last year.

Under the Programme, they were sent to more International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup series competitions compared to previous seasons. Yet, they returned without any creditable results.