Asiad final berth offers reality check for Chen Jie
By Farah Azharie
In a sporting setback that combined historic significance with a sobering wake-up call, Malaysia's national rifle shooter Gan Chen Jie experienced her first Asian Games final elimination on Saturday. The 21-year-old, who claimed gold at the recent Southeast Asian Games, entered the competition with high expectations but found the pressure of the spotlight difficult to handle.
Competing at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery, Chen Jie scored 299.1 points in the women's 50-metre rifle 3 positions event, securing an eighth-place finish and becoming the first shooter eliminated among the eight finalists in a historic Games and Asian record.
This early exit, however, did not diminish the remarkable accomplishment that Chen Jie had achieved by becoming the first Malaysian woman to reach the final berth in the discipline at the Asian Games. For over a decade, Malaysian women had struggled to advance past the preliminary stage in the event, with the last notable performance dating back to the 2010 Guangzhou Games.
Chen Jie's outstanding preliminary range performance of 587 points shattered this barrier, earning her a spot in the 33-shooter field and a seventh-place finish in the team event alongside teammates Alia Husna Budruddin and Nur Suryani Taibi.
While Malaysia's team success marked a significant milestone, Chen Jie's elimination highlighted the challenging psychological landscape of elite shooting sports. National pistol coach Firdaus Rahim noted that the pressure on the firing line is unforgiving, and each shooter must carry the weight of the outcome alone. With the final day of competition approaching, Malaysia's shooting team now faces a critical opportunity to secure a medal at the Asian Games.
The contingent will focus on the women's 25-metre pistol individual event, with Alia Sazana Azahari and Nurul Syasya Nadiah Arifin set to compete. Coach Firdaus emphasized that the team has addressed past finishing lapses to ensure a successful conclusion to the Games.
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