Small charms, big win – RI shooter Matthew Cheong’s keychains power him to B Div gold
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Matthew Cheong from Raffles Institution taking aim with his lucky koala bear keychain on his tripod during the National School Games Boys' 10m air rifle final held at the Safra Indoor Air Weapon Range on April 10.
ST PHOTO: JASEL POH
Sienna Yang
- Matthew Cheong won the National School Games B Division boys' air rifle final using lucky keychains to stay calm, scoring 247.7 points.
- Daanish Teo of SSP clinched the B Division boys' air pistol title after visualising relaxing scenery, overcoming a poor preliminary performance to win with 235.6.
- Tey Shee Suan retained her B Division girls' air rifle crown, battling nerves to win by 0.4 point, while Quek Gek Ling emerged victorious in the girls' air pistol.
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SINGAPORE – A furry koala proved to be the lucky charm for Raffles Institution (RI) shooter Matthew Cheong, who on April 10 won his first title at the National School Games after scoring 247.7 points to beat his rivals in the B Division boys’ air rifle final.
The keychain, along with another commemorating RI’s 200th anniversary, have taken pride of place on the teenager’s tripod during the season, a reminder for him to stay calm amid the pressure.
In the final at the Yishun Safra Indoor Air Weapons Range, as silence descended on the competition hall where 24 athletes lined up shoulder to shoulder, Matthew kept his mind on his lucky charms and the target card 10m away.
His focus paid off as he hit 247.7 points to finish ahead of Singapore Sports School’s (SSP) Xuan Ilyas (243.4) and RI schoolmate Norman Cheng (234.3), who won the silver and bronze respectively.
Matthew, who joined the national youth team in 2024, said: “The koala is a gift that was given to me by one of the national team shooters (and my senior). It’s a reminder of whoever helped me on this journey and who I am today.”
Noting that he “felt a lot of pride and respect for my school” during the anniversary celebrations when he was in Secondary 1, the other keychain was the first he hung on his tripod to remind him of “where I started and where it’s got me to”.
Matthew Cheong from Raffles Institution wins the National School Games boys’ 10m air rifle title.
ST PHOTO: JASEL POH
The victory was also significant for the 15-year-old after a disappointing showing in the C Division final in 2024, when he dropped from first to fourth after firing a shot early.
Calling the setback a turning point for him, he added: “The experience of not having won a final before and also wanting to make my school, friends and family proud spurred me on.”
SSP’s Daanish Teo was another shooter who staged a remarkable comeback, clinching the B Division boys’ air pistol title four days after finishing fifth in the preliminaries.
Daanish Teo of Singapore Sports School emerges champion in the B Division boys’ 10m air pistol.
ST PHOTO: JASEL POH
The Secondary 3 student joked that his poor qualifying result was due to an UNO card game he had played with his friends, as they had challenged one another to do push-ups during the contest.
As a result, he was unable to aim properly as “my arm kept dropping”. He spent the next few days recovering from the fatigue, during which he reflected on his senior and national athlete Teo Jia En’s advice to “always visualise” a scene to help him relax.
“After I fire the shot, I put my gun down… then I close my eyes. I kept visualising myself in the mountains and relaxing so I can stay calm throughout,” said Daanish, who added that he watches Instagram reels of Swiss and Italian Alps for inspiration.
The imagery worked a treat for him, as he triumphed with a score of 235.6 points to claim gold ahead of West Spring Secondary School’s Darien Chan (229.5) and Xinmin Secondary School’s Alston Ng (219.0).
On a day of comebacks at the shooting range, SSP’s Quek Gek Ling finished top with 234.7 points in the B Division girls’ air pistol event to make up for her 18th place in 2025.
Quek Gek Ling from the Singapore Sports School wins the B Division girls’ air pistol gold.
ST PHOTO: SIENNA YANG
Sophia Zhao and Anna Hu of Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) (RGS) claimed silver with 230 points and bronze with 219.8 respectively to round up the podium.
In the B Division girls’ air rifle contest, Xinmin’s Tey Shee Suan retained her title after edging out SSP’s Freya Lim (248.7) by just 0.4 of a point, with SSP’s Jeslyn Woo (236.7) taking the bronze.
Having secured the win after a tightly contested battle, 15-year-old Shee Suan broke down in tears of joy and relief.
Tey Shee Suan (right) of Xinmin Secondary School in tears after winning the B Division girls’ 10m air rifle.
ST PHOTO: JASEL POH
She said: “It was a lot of hard work and time put into my training.
“During the single-shot eliminations, I started getting a lot more nervous, especially when the people behind me started clapping. I could actually feel my heart race, so it was very nerve-racking.”
After five days of competition, SSP emerged as the boys’ champions ahead of RI and Xinmin, while RGS beat Xinmin and SSP to claim the girls’ trophy.
