PETALING JAYA: For national shooter Edward Khor, the bronze medal in the team sporting event at the South-East Asian Shooting Championship comes with a golden lesson.
On Sunday, the Malaysian team comprising Benjamin Khor, Edward, Nicholas Newell Bateman and Koh Chun Cheuk finished third with a score of 607 points, behind hosts and champions Thailand (684 points) and the Philippines (640 points) at the Photharam Shooting Range.
The 64-year-old veteran believes the competition was a valuable benchmark for Malaysia to gauge their level against stronger regional teams ahead of Thailand SEA Games in December.
“This competition is a test for the host country and also for us to gauge where we stand when we face other countries,” said Edward.
“Thailand and the Philippines will be our strongest competitors at the SEA Games.
“Thailand have many shooters, so they can replace each other really quickly, and their shooting ground is of international standard.
“The Philippines have very rich shooters who can afford to train overseas, while we have to improvise with what we have.
“We don’t have the facilities for the sporting event and we are funding everything ourselves.”
Edward, who competes alongside his 32-year-old son Benjamin, was pleased with their performance.
“Our sporting team comprise four shooters – I’m ranked second and my son is the first,” said Edward.
“My son did very well to be tied at top spot but unfortunately he lost in the shoot-off.”
The veteran shooter also highlighted Malaysia’s ongoing struggle with limited infrastructure for the sporting discipline.
“This event isn’t held in Malaysia because we don’t have the facilities,” said Edward, who is the vice president of the Johor Clay Target Shooting Association (JCTSA).
“So, we have to be creative and modify the targets at the shooting range in Kota Tinggi to simulate actual competition conditions.”
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