Joseline Cheah Lee Yan will be the first Malaysian pistol shooter to compete at the World Cup Finals in Munich.
PETALING JAYA: Joseline Cheah Lee Yan has given up the chance to become the first shooter to win a third straight 10m air pistol gold in the South-East Asian (SEASA) Championships at the Subang Shooting Range from Nov 4-12.
With the prestigious World Cup Finals in Munich being held from Nov 6-12, Joseline has decided to forgo the championships.
“I will be the first Malaysian pistol shooter to compete at the World Cup Finals and the National Shooting Association of Malaysia (NSAM) have given their blessings for me to go,” said Joseline.
“It is a rare opportunity for me to compete with the world’s best. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to qualify the next time. As for the SEASA Championships, I can always get to shoot in the future. On top of that, we have other pistol shooters in the national team like Bibiana (Ng) to vie for honours in the SEASA Championships,” added the Royal Malaysian Navy lieutenant.
The Penang-born Joseline made the cut for the Finals after finishing among the top eight in the world, thanks largely to her silver medal feat in the third leg of the World Cup in Munich in May. She also equalled her national record of 388 points.
It was Malaysia’s second medal in the World Cup after rifle shooter Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi’s silver medal effort in the women’s 10m air rifle in Sydney three years ago.
Joseline also finished 20th in the final leg in Granada in July. She did not compete in the first leg in Changwon in April due to political instability in South Korea at that time. She also did not travel to Fort Benning in the United States the following month.
China’s top ranked and two-time Olympic champion Guo Wenjun and Ren Jie along with South Korea’s second-ranked Kim Jang-mi, Mexico’s Alejandra Zavala, Serbians Zorana Arunovic and Sekaric Jasna, and Belarusian Viktoria Chaika are among the qualifiers.
German Munkhabayar Dorjsuren and defending champion Olena Kostevych of Ukraine are the wildcard entrants.
“It is a small field but all are World Cup medal winners. But I will try my best to fight for a medal,” said Joseline.
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