Singapore para-shooter Daniel Chan to make Paralympics debut in Paris

SINGAPORE: Even before firing his first shot at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre – the venue for shooting events at the Paris Games – Daniel Chan has already written his name into Singapore's history books.

He is the nation’s first para-shooter to compete in the Paralympic Games.

“I feel incredibly excited and honoured to represent Singapore. It's like a dream for me because the Paralympics is the biggest sporting event for all para-athletes,” the debutant told CNA.

Chan was first introduced to the sport during national service when his unit took part in a competition.

He stopped when he ventured abroad to pursue his studies in another area of interest – Go, also known as Weiqi, a strategic board game for two players.

He has a Bachelors’ degree in Go from Myongji University in South Korea and currently teaches the game at The Go Academy Singapore.

His passion for shooting was reignited during the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, when all eyes were glued to swimmer Joseph Schooling’s gold medal performance.

"After watching Schooling swim, I remembered there's shooting. The champion that year (for 10m air pistol) was from Vietnam. What caught my attention was his age,” he recalled.

He was referring to Vietnamese shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh – then 42 years old – who won his country’s first and only gold medal at the Olympics.

Chan said Hoang’s performance inspired him to pick up his air pistol again.

“I was really shocked that you can get a gold medal at 40 plus. So I told myself (then): ‘I am 29 and if I work double, triple hard, maybe I can be like him’.”

Now, at 36, Chan will represent Singapore in the P1 men's 10m air pistol SH1.

To catch up with his late start into the sport, Chan has been training six times a week for the past seven years.

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