Blazing a trail at the 25th SEA Games

By Ong Jun Hong

Year 1, Business School Student


REPRESENTING SINGAPORE: Jun Hong as flag bearer for the Republic of Singapore at the 25th SEA Games


WINNING GOLD: Jun Hong won Gold in the Men's 10m Air Rifle Team category When I first joined shooting in 2001, as a Co-Curricular Activity at The Chinese High School, I thought it would be merely an activity to accompany me through my school years. However, as time passed, I realised shooting was more than just "Ready, Aim, Shoot". On top of good control over the centre of gravity and weapon stability, shooting required concentration, patience and nerves of steel. Soon, I discovered the competitiveness in me and it became the drive behind the countless hours I invested in training as I sought to be the best in this very technical and mental sport.

In the glimpse of an eye, in 2009, I found myself representing Singapore at my fourth SEA Games at the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos. This one held a special meaning, as after nine years of commitment to the sport, I was given the honour to be the Republic's flag bearer. With the country's flag in my hands, I led the country's top athletes into a packed stadium with an atmosphere so electrifying and which had government officials watching from the stands. It was exhilarating and simply breathtaking. Until the day that I will mount the rostrum at the Olympic Games, the 400m march in Vientiane will be the proudest moment of my sporting life thus far.

People told me it was going to be tough being the flag bearer because the flag was heavy. It was true, as I felt the weight of the flag, not literally, but the weight of the responsibility and increased expectations which landed on my shoulders.

My participation in the 25th SEA Games coincided with it my first semester at NUS. Placed in a new environment with new faces I wanted to do well for this new academic beginning and without a doubt, I also wanted to do well for shooting. Yet, one week prior to departure for the Games, I was still in Multi-Purpose Hall 2 taking my final examinations. Due to the preparation for the SEA Games, I did not have the luxury of spending long hours with my books and lecture notes, and vice versa. Prioritising became a main concern and it was important that I put in constant effort throughout the semester for both shooting and my studies to ensure that I struck a good balance between the two and end the year "unscathed".

Fortunately, I survived, returning from Laos with a Gold medal (Men's 10m Air Rifle Team category) and a Bronze medal (Men's 50m Rifle Prone Team category) to show for, on top of a memorable experience and a first semester of University life I will never forget!