A line judge inspecting target faces before a match round for the team events.
JEREMY Han nocked his final arrow, with one already sitting squarely in the yellow ring. What he did next made him a legend among barebow archers in Singapore.
With another perfect shot in the bullseye, Han secured his third gold medal in the Master’s barebow team event at the 2024 Singapore National Games, or “Pesta Sukan”.
This victory added to his impressive list of achievements, having previously won gold in the Men’s Masters Recurve and Compound events.
His trifecta earned him immense respect within Singapore’s archery community.
The Pesta Sukan, open to everyone in Singapore, draws a crowd every year, and the archery tournament is one of its most anticipated events, with slots filling quickly.
“Every year in late July, the National Games feature a wide range of sports, including archery,” Han explained.
Barebow archery was introduced a few years ago, and the Telok Blangah Archery Club initially dominated the top spots.
An archer executing her shot at the Master’s recurve team event.
Back in 2019, Han decided to assemble a team to compete in the Barebow Masters event.
He teamed up with fellow archer Isaac Goh and kept everyone guessing about the third member until game day.
“I invited an archer from Malaysia to complete our team, and we called ourselves the ‘Rogue Archers,’” Han said.
According to competition rules, teams could include one permanent resident or foreigner; the presence of a foreign archer rattled local competitors.
The Rogue Archers remained undefeated throughout two intense days of competition, defeating the top team from the Telok Blangah Archery Club and clinching the gold medal.
When the Pesta Sukan resumed in 2021 after a pandemic-induced hiatus, Han and his new teammates, Goh and Jerry Lim, again claimed the top prize, earning Han his second gold.
In 2022, with barebow archery growing in popularity, Han formed several teams to compete.
Team Rogue Omega, which featured Lim, Gary Lim and South Korean archer Jae Hon-choi, took home the gold in the finals.
“Winning three times was incredible but I knew the fourth would be tough,” Han admitted.
In 2023, the Telok Blangah Archery Club returned stronger, fielding their best archers and taking the top two spots, leaving the Rogue Archers with bronze.
Recurve archers from the Master’s division marking their target papers after taking scores.
Determined but undeterred, Han’s team regrouped for the 2024 Pesta Sukan, fielding five teams.
All eyes were on Team Rogue Omega, consisting of Han, Gary Lim and Zaid Mohamed Yusoff.
They dominated the round-robin phase at Bukit Gombak Stadium.
Close behind them was Team Rogue Thunder, led by Isaac Goh, along with Calvin Heng and Michelle Lau, a Malaysian archer invited by Han.
By the final rounds, only a few teams from Telok Blangah remained.
They would compete for the bronze.
In a dramatic showdown, Team Rogue Omega triumphed over Team Rogue Thunder with a score of 6-2, winning the gold medal and team trophy.
It was a particularly sweet victory for Zaid, who had competed against the Rogue Archers the previous year.
“We did it! Everyone gave their best. This medal and trophy are our rewards,” he said.
Participants from the youth open recurve team event.
For Han, now 48, the victory marked the culmination of a journey that began in 2019 when he first participated in the Pesta Sukan.
It was a proud moment for him as team captain.
But now, Han’s focus has shifted to making good recovery.
“I’ve been dealing with constant pain in my right shoulder, so I’m taking a break to heal.
“The rest of the team will continue playing,” Han said.
