Shooting: Adele Tan earns ticket to Tokyo Olympics after 1½-year selection process

SINGAPORE – After a selection process that took 1½ years due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Singapore Shooting Association has nominated Adele Tan as its women’s 10m air rifle representative for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

The 22-year-old National University of Singapore psychology freshman emerged from a group of top shooters after a selection process that took into account four meets – the H&N Cup 2020 Munich and three internal shoots, the last of which took place at Safra Yishun on Saturday (May 15).

The contenders included London 2012 and Rio 2016 representative Jasmine Ser, 2018 Commonwealth Games champion Martina Veloso and national teammates Tessa Neo and Ho Xiu Yi.

Tan had been a frontrunner as she had won gold in the event at the H&N Cup and set a new national record of 632.5 points in the process.

Thanking the SSA’s high performance team, coach Song Haiping, and psychologist Dr Harry Lim, Tan said: “The long process was definitely not easy… the trials were supposed to be last year, during my eight-month gap while waiting for university but it got delayed due to the pandemic.

“Adaptation was key during this period, so I tried my best to adapt to long training hours and juggling university at the same time.

“This achievement reinstates my ability to perform under pressure. However, it is only the beginning, because I will be up against the world’s best of the best and I have to be prepared to face even tougher obstacles. That being said, my team and I will work hard, and smart to prepare for the games.”

The Olympic quota was achieved by Neo after she reached the final of the same event at the 2019 Asian Shooting Championship.

In addition to securing Singapore’s first Olympic qualification for the event, Neo eventually claimed a historic silver at the Asian Championship in Qatar.

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