SINGAPORE – A bear keychain on his tripod mount made all the difference for Irvin Yeoh on Friday, as the 16-year-old’s lucky charm gave him the boost he needed to win his first B Division boys’ 10m air rifle title.
The Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) student had purchased it in Bangkok in December while competing in the South-east Asia Shooting Championships to commemorate his first tournament abroad. Since then, it has never left his rifle mount.
With brown bear by his side, he calmly completed his 24-shot routine to clinch the gold medal with a total score of 246.6.
Irvin, who finished second in 2022, said: “Throughout the finals, I didn’t pay attention to what the announcers were saying and was just focusing on my breathing.
“I made a few mistakes which could have been avoided, like triggering too early which caused high shots. But towards the end I did (get) back my feelings to do better.”
HCI coach Zhang Zuoqiang praised Irvin’s skill and mental fortitude.
Zhang, 47, said: “He is a talented player who makes adjustments very quickly, I need to correct him only once and he would know what to do.”
In the boys’ 10m air pistol, Xinmin Secondary School’s Andrew Khoo, 16, overcame nerves and a slow start to win back-to-back B Division titles.
Winning the last edition gave him added pressure to repeat the feat, but Andrew said he “persevered and kept calm and did what I was supposed to do and didn’t let myself get affected by the scores”.
“I feel grateful to my parents and teachers who are always supporting me, and my coaches who are always helping me although my performance has its ups and downs,” he added.
The atmosphere at Safra Yishun’s Indoor Air Weapons Range remained lively throughout as a 200-strong crowd turned out to cheer on their schoolmates, clapping loudly and waving flags as they craned their necks to catch the action. Their enthusiasm was rewarded by a day of nail-biting action as both women’s finals went down to the wire.
Each final consists of two stages – the first comprises two series of five rounds each. In the second stage, two shooters with the lowest total score are eliminated after every shot until six finalists remain. Shooters are then eliminated one by one until the medallists are decided.
In the girls’ 10m air rifle, Singapore Sports School (SSP) teammates Jillian Su and Jaymee Poh were tied at 234.7 points with a round left.
But it was Jillian who had the steadier hand during the final shot, calmly scoring a 10.1 and defeating Jaymee by 0.4 of a point.
Both girls were satisfied with their podium finishes, saying their performance had surpassed expectations.
Jillian, 16, said: “I tried not to think about the scores and focus on the shot and stay calm. My parents had advised me to focus on my routine.”
The finale of the day saw Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary’s Chew Yee Sin, 16, clinching the girls’ 10m air pistol title after trailing SSP’s Clarice Lee throughout. She had to overcome a 0.7 point deficit in the last round to win.
Yee Sin scored 9.8 points for her last shot for a total of 228.7, just half a point more than Clarice. When the results were announced, she burst into tears and held her head in her hands.
She said: “My coach advised me to just do the basics well – hold the gun, fire and follow through. I just focused on doing what I could and did what I usually do in school.
“When it comes to competitions, you really have to persist. Just now, I shot a seven but eventually managed to come up top and that shows how much difference resilience makes.”
