Shooter Ser struggles in pet event
Shooter fails to find her game in Rio, but vows to get medal at 2020 Olympics
REPORTING FROM RIO
Jasmine Ser probably wished she could have been left all alone, maybe she somehow wanted to start all over again.
She was crestfallen, after a dismal performance in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions qualification series at the Olympic Shooting Centre here yesterday but, after walking away to collect herself for around 20 minutes, she emerged to talk.
"I didn't do as I expected," she said, still clearly emotional, but steeling herself.
"But I tried my very best until the last series. The wind wasn't too easy, but I hung in there and tried till the end."
Ser finished 34th out of 37 competitors in her pet event, and she clearly expected better.
All of us did.
In the first kneeling position, Ser chalked up scores of 97 and 93 for a 190 total.
In the second prone position, she posted 95, 95 for a 190 total.
In the final standing series, her scores were 91, 97, for a 188 total.
NOT ENOUGH
Those numbers were hardly enough - she finished 14 points behind the eighth and final qualifier, Adela Bruns of the Czech Republic.
All was not right.
Halfway through her prone sequence, Ser's Russian coach Kirill Ivanov intervened, and spoke to her.
Speaking later, Ivanov said: "I just told her the technique and everything else were all okay, but the attention and the focus had to be better."
The windy conditions did not help, but he did add that they had trained for it.
Said Ser: "Kneeling is my best position and it didn't go so smooth. 190... I was disappointed with myself.
"But, like I said, I hung in there and my second series score of 97 in the standing position was good."
The Singapore shooting ace kept hanging on to the fact that she never threw in the towel even when all was lost.
She finished 25th in the women's 10m air rifle and the goal would have been to reach a final in Rio 2016, and battle for a medal.
Ser is a world-class shooter who should have done better.
"At the Olympic Games, it is different for everyone. This is the highest level for shooting and it's not about technique," said Ivanov, an Olympic medallist.
"It's all about psychology."
Towards the end of her chat, Ser spotted chef de mission Low Teo Ping and gave him a hug, and said, "I'm sorry."
She was exasperated she couldn't find her 'A' game.
"I need to find my peak," she said.
"In 2014 and 2015, I was shooting at a really high standard, at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games and the world championships.
"This year, I qualified for the Olympics in India in January but, after that, my scores dropped and I couldn't get it back.
"I need to peak again."
Ivanov says this experience will help her. He said they will go away and "train better, prepare better".
That means Ser has the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in her sights.
Less than a hour after her disappointing final performance in Rio, the 25-year-old was already looking ahead.
"From every setback, you gain something," said Ser, who was a wildcard entrant at the 2012 Games in London.
"I previously said my goal was to qualify for Rio, and I did.
"Now, I'm saying this, I'm going for a medal in 2020."
After bitter lessons learned in 2016.
From every setback, you gain something. I previously said my goal was to qualify for Rio, and I did. Now, I’m saying this, I’m going for a medal in 2020.
- Singapore shooter Jasmine Ser
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