Malaysian shooter Nur Suryani Taibi, one of the senior members of the national contingent at 43 years old, is preparing to compete at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya despite facing logistical challenges. The shooting team travels approximately an hour from their hotel to the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Range, where the competition takes place, but officials say this will not affect their readiness.

Suryani is set to participate in the women’s 10-meter air rifle event, which commences Wednesday, alongside teammates Gan Chen Jie and Alia Husna Budruddin. The trio will also contend in the team category. National coach Mohd Firdaus Abd Rahim emphasized that while the weather has been gloomy and the travel distance notable, these factors have been accounted for during their training.

“Our preparations have been thorough,” Mohd Firdaus said. “We trained in Sarawak for an extended period, including sessions during heavy haze conditions, so the team is well equipped to handle any situation.”

The coach cautioned against setting high medal expectations or focusing heavily on traditional powerhouses such as China and India. Instead, the approach remains centered on consistent improvement and execution of their training.

“We are not putting pressure on the shooters to win medals or directly compete with countries like China and India,” Mohd Firdaus noted. “Our goal is to perfect what we have been working on and build on our progress.”

In addition to the air rifle event, Malaysian shooters have a packed schedule throughout the week. Nurul Syasya Nadiah Mohd Ariffin is slated to compete in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event on Wednesday, while Johnathan Wong will follow in the men’s 10-meter air pistol on Thursday. On Sunday, Alia Sazana Azahari will shoot in the women’s 25-meter air pistol competition.

The Malaysian shooting team’s measured approach aims to maximize performance without succumbing to external pressures as they navigate the challenges of competition in a foreign setting.