Veterans take Singapore to trap team success
Zain, 40, and Choo, 43, combine with Lin, 24, to continue Singapore's dominance in the trap team event
Zain Amat, Choo Choon Seng and Lin Hejun extended Singapore's winning streak in the trap team event yesterday, when they claimed the gold at the National Shooting Centre.
The trio scored a combined 343 points, comfortably beating Malaysia (329) and the Philippines (324).
Their win meant that the hosts finished with five golds from shooting - one shy of their target.
Speaking to The New Paper, Zain said: "Of course it's great to be winning on home soil. I tell you nothing beats the feeling of having your national anthem played and everyone standing to it."
Both Zain, 40, and Choo, 43, also praised Lin, who was making his SEA Games debut.
Patting Lin's back, Zain, said: "We (Zain and Choo) have been there and done that, we are the old ones.
"He's the man now because he kept his cool in his first SEA Games, so credit must be given to this guy."
FANTASTIC FEELING
Lin, 24, credited the fans and his teammates, saying: "I didn't even know the score until I turned around at the end and really saw the board, but it's a fantastic feeling to win the gold medal with Choo and Zain.
"It makes me very proud. And with the people like my friends and family who support us, winning here feels great."
The last time the trap events were held was in 2007 in Bangkok. Then, Singapore also dominated, sweeping all four titles (trap individual, trap team, double trap and double trap team).
But this time, there were only the trap individual and team events.
In the individual event, Vietnam's Nghia Le won the gold after beating Malaysia's Chen Seong Fook in the final shoot-out, while Zain had to settle for the bronze.
Despite that, Zain was happy.
"I know I'm getting old, so to be able to still win a gold and bronze medal feels great. I'm happy," he said.
"We have new shooters like Hejun coming up, so we're really proud of him. He wasn't just a passenger, he earned his spot."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now