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THEY'VE GOT IT
In Praise Of The Fighting Instincts Of Team Singapore Athletes
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By Chua Chong Jin
China-born pistol specialist Gai Bin has it. So does fellow shooter Jasmine Ser. And golfer Quincy Quek too. Yes, all three Team Singapore athletes have it - that definitive fighting spirit that separates winners from the rest.
Gai Bin
In Gai Bin's case, he showed his ability to fight back from the brink of defeat to emerge victorious in the SEA Games' 10m air pistol final in Bangkok. He wasn't expected to clinch gold as rival Tran Quoc Cuong of Vietnam had led convincingly at the end of qualification. Yet, inspired, the Singaporean fired an impressive 99.4 in the 10-shot final to win the gold with a total of 674.4. As Tran stumbled, Gai had to contend with Thailand's Jakkrit Panichpatikum in a nerve-wracking finale. In the end, he kept his cool despite the pressure to earn his well-deserved gold.
Quincy Quek
In a similar tale of fine comeback, Quincy won the individual title at the Putra Cup, also known as the South-east Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship, in the Philippines. Despite a seven-stroke deficit at the start of play, he didn't give up. This paid off as he eventually won the title with a 284 total to just edge out Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat. Quincy now heads for the SEA Games with his confidence at an all-time high, having also won the top amateur title at the Barclay's Singapore Open and finishing second in the Laguna National Asean Championship.
Jasmine Ser
In the case of Jasmine (picture), her ability to battle the odds against top opponents was obvious in the women's 10m air rifle event at the SEA Games in Bangkok. Placed two points behind Thai leader Kusuma Tavisri's 393 after the qualification shoot, she didn't give up. Instead, in a fine display of fighting spirit, she turned in an Olympic class performance to win the gold, with 494.1 points compared to Tavisri's 492.1.
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