KUALA LUMPUR: National shooter Shahera Rahim Raja (pic) wants a memorable ending to her last SEA Games outing.
The mother of two said she is determined to win her first individual medal in the women’s rifle event at the Philippines SEA Games from Nov 30-Dec 11 after failing to do so in her last five attempts.
Shahera bagged silvers in the 10m air rifle team events in 2007 Korat and 2009 Laos editions and won bronze in the team 50m rifle three position in Laos.
This time, she is optimistic of a podium finish in the individual event after breaking the national record in the 10m air rifle in the Selangor Open Shooting Championships at the National Subang Range in July.
She registered a personal best score of 627 points in the qualifying round to shatter Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi’s score of 624, which she set in the same competition last year.
The 34-year-old Shahera, who has represented Malaysia since 2006, said she was unsure whether she would be around for the next Games in 2021.
“This is my sixth SEA Games and could well be my last ... I want to hold and kiss an individual medal in the Games before I retire,” said Shahera, whose best finish in the individual event was fourth place in the 10m air rifle event at the 2011 Palembang Games.
She skipped the 2013 Myanmar and 2015 Singapore editions as she had just given birth to a baby boy and girl respectively.
In the last SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Shahera finished fifth in the 10m air rifle event.
Shahera knows it will be tough in the Philippines as there is just one individual rifle event – the 10m air rifle – and she has to contend with shooters from Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
“It’ll be tough but I’m not giving up hope to land my first individual medal in the Philippines,” she said.
Shahera will also compete in the 10m air rifle mixed team in the Philippines Games. She did well in the mixed event at the South-East Asia (Seasa) Shooting Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia last month by winning a gold with Mohd Ezuan Nasir Khan.
The mother of two said she is determined to win her first individual medal in the women’s rifle event at the Philippines SEA Games from Nov 30-Dec 11 after failing to do so in her last five attempts.
Shahera bagged silvers in the 10m air rifle team events in 2007 Korat and 2009 Laos editions and won bronze in the team 50m rifle three position in Laos.
This time, she is optimistic of a podium finish in the individual event after breaking the national record in the 10m air rifle in the Selangor Open Shooting Championships at the National Subang Range in July.
She registered a personal best score of 627 points in the qualifying round to shatter Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi’s score of 624, which she set in the same competition last year.
The 34-year-old Shahera, who has represented Malaysia since 2006, said she was unsure whether she would be around for the next Games in 2021.
“This is my sixth SEA Games and could well be my last ... I want to hold and kiss an individual medal in the Games before I retire,” said Shahera, whose best finish in the individual event was fourth place in the 10m air rifle event at the 2011 Palembang Games.
She skipped the 2013 Myanmar and 2015 Singapore editions as she had just given birth to a baby boy and girl respectively.
In the last SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Shahera finished fifth in the 10m air rifle event.
Shahera knows it will be tough in the Philippines as there is just one individual rifle event – the 10m air rifle – and she has to contend with shooters from Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
“It’ll be tough but I’m not giving up hope to land my first individual medal in the Philippines,” she said.
Shahera will also compete in the 10m air rifle mixed team in the Philippines Games. She did well in the mixed event at the South-East Asia (Seasa) Shooting Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia last month by winning a gold with Mohd Ezuan Nasir Khan.
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