Time out: Johnathan Wong (left) chats with national junior rifle shooter Gah Chen Jie (centre) and pistol shooter Siau Zianyi at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil.
PETALING JAYA: National pistol shooter Johnathan Wong has lofty ambitions amidst the uncertain times.
With the Covid-19 wreaking havoc globally and curtailing sports programmes world-wide, the 28-year-old Johnathan remains steadfast in his aim to excel at the 2022 Commonwealth and Asian Games.
The shooter is currently based at the National Sports Council (NSC) with the national shooting team who are training under the quarantine-based approach.
“As such, my goal for this year is to push my score level towards the 580 range as compared to 570 during the last SEA Games, ” said Johnathan.
“Training had been progressing well thus far and we are better focused during this period under coach (Mohd Firdaus Abdul Rahim).
“There are good and bad aspects about the quarantine-based approach.
“I feel as though we are under centralised training and can train with a higher level of concentration. Then, the uncertainty of how long this approach will last leaves most of us distressed as we are unable to meet up with our family and loved ones.
“I think everyone, not only the trainees, are feeling the effects of it.”
And because of the quarantine-style training, Johnathan will be welcoming the Chinese New Year today with his teammates and not his family members.
“Of course it is disappointing not to be able to celebrate it with our loved ones.
“It is the norm to have reunion dinners and visit friends and relatives during these times but these are no ordinary times.
“I guess we will have to celebrate the occasion with our teammates. We will probably continue training and have a small “makan” session together.”
As for competitions, shooters are only relying on online matches so far.
“We have internal matches, simulations, and mini-games during our training sessions.
“I can see that there’s an improvement and it is a good sign overall. I dare say we are currently competitive enough for the upcoming SEA Games in Hanoi this year.”
