Gan happy to break 24-year wait with final show

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, September 27, 2026

Malaysian shooter Gan Chen Jie reached the final of the women's 50m rifle three-position event at the Asian Games, marking the country's first appearance in the final of this event in 24 years. Although she finished eighth, her performance signifies progress for Malaysia in the sport and highlights her potential for future competitions.

Malaysian rifle shooter Gan Chen Jie marked a significant milestone by reaching the final of the women's 50m rifle three-position event at the Asian Games, ending a 24-year wait for the nation. The 21-year-old from Negri Sembilan secured eighth place at the competition held yesterday at the Aichi Prefectural Shooting Range.

Gan’s appearance in the final is the first for a Malaysian athlete in this event since Nurul Huda Baharin, who finished seventh at the 2002 Asian Games. Gan earned her spot in the final by placing eighth in the qualifying round with a score of 587 points, narrowly securing the last available place. She improved on her previous personal best qualifying score, matching her 587 points but increasing her inner-tens (X-count) from 28 to 37, which demonstrates greater precision.

In the final, Gan scored 299.1 points after the initial four series but was the lowest scorer heading into the final four series, finishing in eighth place. Despite this, she expressed satisfaction with her performance, emphasizing the competitiveness of the field and her personal achievement in reaching the final during her first appearance at the Asian Games.

China's Han Jiayu won the gold medal with a record-breaking score of 359.0 points, surpassing the previous Asian record of 358.2 established earlier this year by Kazakhstan’s Sofiya Shulzhenko. Han’s Chinese teammate Zhang Liyuan took silver with 358.8 points, while South Korea’s Kim Ji-eun secured the bronze with 348.4 points.

Other Malaysian competitors included Alia Husna Budruddin and Nur Suryani Taibi, who finished 19th and 33rd respectively in the qualification round with scores of 583 and 576. In the women’s team event, Malaysia placed seventh with a combined total of 1,746 points. The team finished behind China, which won gold with 1,773 points, India with silver at 1,763 points, and Kazakhstan with bronze at 1,754 points.

Looking ahead, Gan acknowledged the need to strengthen her mental resilience and improve consistency in her shooting as part of her continued development in the sport. She also expressed gratitude to her family for their ongoing support throughout her journey.

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