Jasmine at the 2012 London World Cup. (Picture courtesy of Jasmine Ser).
What is a typical training day for you like? And how many hours a day do you train?
I will reach the National Shooting Centre at 10am, and start training for the 50m rifle 3-position, before 11am. It will last till 1.30 pm with breaks in between, followed by lunch. The second session for the day will be at a different venue, the Safra Yishun Country Club, for another event – the 10m Air Rifle. This usually ends before 6pm.
The total training time for each day would be about five to six hours, with the rest of the time being spent preparing and setting up equipment, travelling and resting.
Do you follow any special dietary requirements? What are your meals like?
I do not have special diets, but I won’t take spicy foods and I will take light meals before my competitions.
What are the biggest challenges that you face in your sport?
Adapting to the change in rules. After the London Olympics, the International Shooting Federation changed the final rules for most if not all, shooting events. This includes both of my Olympic events.
The final rounds used to comprise of 10 shots, in which the score in the final would be combined with the qualification score, to see who has the highest. This means that if I had shot well in the qualification round, I will have a slight advantage over others.
However the new rule states that no qualification score will be carried forward to the final round, which now has a 100% weightage on the final position. Also, because of this rule, they increased the number of shots in the finals, and for the 3-Position event, I have to fire a total of 45 shots now compared to 10 shots previously. The whole game becomes more exciting and I have to adapt this change and get the hang of it.
What is your social life like?
I meet up with friends whenever I have time. Mostly we meet for birthday celebrations. My time is spent on managing my studies and sport.
What shooting events do you enjoy watching yourself?
I enjoy watching the finals for all shooting events because during the final rounds, we are allowed to cheer and clap, and there’s much excitement and anticipation to know who is going to win.
Why do you think more people are not taking up shooting in Singapore?
Firstly, the shooting sport is not offered in all schools, so most students are not aware of it. But this scene is changing as there are now junior programmes conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to encourage young kids at primary school level to have the chance to try the sport.
Secondly, as this sport is not an action-packed sport it is less interesting for the public, compared to say, swimming.
How would you advise someone who is interested to pick up the sport?
Get a coach if he or she wants to see improvements because it is difficult to learn the technique skills without one. If not, the person can also search shooting websites and forums for opinions on the techniques and learn something from there. Have patience .
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