Pistol woes persist as Johnathan bows out in Aichi

THE misery for the shooting squad continued with Johnathan Wong (pic) missing the mark in the men’s 10m air pistol at the Aichi Prefectural Shooting Range yesterday.

The 34-year-old started strongly when he scored 285 points in the first three series of qualification but faded over the final three to finish on 572 points.

He finished 23rd and nine points shy of the eighth-placed shooter who advanced to the final.

Just a day ago, Nurul Syasya Nadiah Ariffin failed to reach the women’s 10m air pistol final after finishing 23rd.

Indonesia’s Mohd Iqbal Raia Prabowo topped the standings on 589 points and teammate Sulthania Aulia Maruf finished third with 583.

China’s Bu Shuaihang matched Sulthania’s score but claimed second on a superior bullseye count, 21 to 16.

Johnathan, who finished sixth in the final at the last Games in Hangzhou, was disappointed.

“The score wasn’t what I’ve been expecting,” said Johnathan.

“I felt very composed today, and my execution went right according to plan. However, I struggled to stay steady while aiming because my shoulder had more movement than usual.”

Looking ahead to today’s mixed team event with Syasya, Johnathan said he would sit down with coach Firdaus Abd Rahim to map out a plan of action.

“Will have discussion with coach to see what are the changes that I could make to improve the situation for the mixed event,” he said.

In Hangzhou, the pair finished seventh in mixed team qualification with 573 points – just outside the top six needed for the final.

Both will be hoping to go one better this time and give the shooting contingent something to smile about.