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FINALLY!
Shooter Gai Bin Ends Dry Spell For Team Singapore
By Christopher Ong & Peh Siong San in Bangkok
Faced with a four-point gap, Team Singapore's Gai Bin kept a cool head while the pressure got to his Vietnamese opponent, Tran Quoc Cuong. This made the difference and enabled him to finish with 674.4 points compared to Tran's 671.7. In doing so, he also ended Singapore's 34-year gold drought in the rifle and pistol events at the SEA Games.
Maximum Effort
China-born Gai, 39, has been shooting since he was 24, and his experience proved vital to his victory here in Bangkok. He said, "There's always pressure everywhere, but I feel that as long as one puts in his maximum effort, he has a chance of a good result." His win is made sweeter by the fact that he has only just begun to represent Team Singapore after receiving his citizenship in May.
Breakthrough For Singapore
He is glad to have been able to win a gold for Singapore, saying, "This is a breakthrough for us, and will motivate more people to take up the sport." Gai originally came to Singapore as a coach before his citizenship meant that he could take up the challenge of representing his adopted country.
Towards Beijing 2008
Now, he has set his sights on the Olympics. But first he has to qualify for it, and can do so with a good showing in the Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait in December. It is his first and last chance to qualify for the Olympics, given that he has not had an opportunity to do so thus far since he has only represented Singapore for six months. However, he remains calm under pressure. He says, "If I perform to my normal standards, then I think I can qualify."
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