BANGKOK, Dec 14 — National shooting veteran Johnathan Wong defended the men’s 10 metres (m) air pistol gold medal at the 2025 Thailand SEA Games here today.
In the final at the Sports Authority of Thailand Shooting Range, the composure and consistency displayed by Johnathan enabled the national Olympian to amass a total of 237.8 points, repeating his gold medal success at the 2021 edition in Vietnam.
The silver medal went to Filipino shooter Michael Angelo Fernandes with 236.1 points, while Indonesia’s Sulthanul Aulia Maruf claimed bronze with 231.1 points.
Johnathan said that despite being satisfied with the achievement, his priority was to continue motivating and inspiring his teammates as well as the entire national contingent still competing in the biennial Games.
“For me, it doesn’t matter whether I defended the title or not. What I’m most grateful for is being able to enjoy the competition and come away with the medal.
“Of course, winning the medal is special, but what matters more to me is that this medal is not just for myself or my country, but can also serve as inspiration for the other athletes,” he said when met after the final.
He added that the national shooting line-up has great potential and often records good results during training sessions.
“It’s just about translating that into competition. I hope that by winning the gold medal today, it will inspire them to shine when it matters most,” said the 33-year-old Melaka-born athlete.
The gold won by Johnathan marked the first gold medal for the shooting camp at this edition of the Games.
Next, Johnathan will compete in the 10m air pistol mixed team event with the mission of helping the team reach the podium.
Meanwhile, the trio of Johnathan, Cheah Zen Hong and Wan Muhammad Syafiq Wan Mustaza finished fifth in the men’s 10m air pistol team event after accumulating 1,702 points.
The Indonesian trio clinched gold with a new Games record of 1,736 points, while Vietnam took silver with 1,717 points. — Bernama
