Hasli, Nur Suryani fine-tuned for glory

Ajitpal Singh -

SHOOTERS Hasli Izwan Amir Hasan and Nur Suryani Taibi are peaking nicely for the Laos Sea Games after impressive performances in the Tun Haniff Trophy at Subang Shooting Range last weekend.

Hasli broke former Olympian Sabiamad Ahmad's 22-year-old national record in the men's 25-metre standard pistol en route to winning the individual title.

The 32-year-old amassed 570 points to erase Sabiamad's mark of 566, which was set at the 1987 Jakarta Sea Games.

Nur Suryani came close to equalling the national record in the women's individual 10m air rifle. Her effort of 398 in the preliminary round was just one point short of the national record jointly held by Shahera Rahim Raja and Muslifah Zulkifli.

(from left) Nur Suryani and Hasli

However, the trio still managed to complete their outing with a national record.

Their combined total of 1,177 not only earned them the team gold but saw them improving on the previous record of 1,174 set in 2006.

Hasli and Nur Suryani hope their good run will lead to them winning individual titles at the Laos Sea Games.

Hasli said his performance in the Tun Haniff Trophy has given him confidence for the Sea Games.

"I won all three pistol events (25m rapid fire pistol and 50m centre fire pistol) and this is one of my best showings at a local meet after a long time," he said yesterday.

"It feels good to break Sabiamad's national record, which I have been trying for a long time and moreover, he is one of my inspirations.'

Hasli said his target in Laos will be to regain the 25m rapid fire pistol gold medal.

"My main focus will be to win the 25m rapid fire pistol individual title but that does not mean I will neglect the standard fire," said Hasli, who won his first Sea Games individual gold in Manila in 2005.

In the Korat Games, Hasli, who featured in last year's Beijing Olympics, won the individual silver and team gold, together with Ridhuan Abdullah and Hafiz Adzha, in the 25m rapid fire.

Nur Suryani is hoping for an improved performance in the Laos edition. In Korat, she won five medals, including a gold from the women's 50m rifle three-position team event.

"I won the 50m rifle three-position individual title in Manila but failed to defend it in Korat. With more experience, I hope to be able to bring my consistency to Laos," she said.

"It is satisfying to maintain this kind of results. It has not been easy as there is stiff competition from my teammates," she added.