14-Year-Old Martina Wins ISSF World Cup

(L-R) Silver medalist Katerina Emmons of the Czech Republic, Gold medalist Martina Lindsay Veloso of Singapore and Bronze medalist Andrea Arsovic of Serbia pose with their medals after the 10m Air Rifle Women Finals at the Olympic Shooting Range Munich/Hochbrueck (Photo: ISSF Website)

Singapore Sports School’s Martina Lindsay P Veloso won the Women's 10m Air Rifle gold medal at the ISSF World Cup Munich, Germany, on 8 June 2014.

At 14, Martina is one of the youngest participating athletes at the World Cup, and the only Singaporean to ever win the title.

Martina defeated some of the best shooters in the world, including Czech Katerina Emmons, who holds both the World Record and Olympic Games Record.

"I'm really happy to win the gold medal. There were older and more experienced shooters in this World Cup. I was quite floored at the opportunity of competing against them. But, I stuck to what my coach, Ms Lim Chea Rong, always told me: ‘Don’t be distracted. Stay focused.’" said Martina, who fired some of the best shots of the day, and stayed at the top of the scoreboard throughout the event. She finished with 206.9 points. Emmons took the silver medal with 206.6 points. Andrea Arsovic of Serbia had to settle for the bronze medal with 184.6 points after fighting head and head against Emmons.

"When I found out that I had won, I was really shocked. Beating Katerina Emmons, who won the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games gold medal, is a big deal for me," said Martina, a Secondary 3 student-athlete on the School-Within-A-School programme.

“With this win, expectations rise. The responsibility to always shoot excellently becomes heavier.

“I thank Singapore Sports School for starting the Shooting Academy three years ago, and mapping my development plans while helping me to keep up with my studies. I cannot thank my coach enough for her belief in me, always encouraging me. Singapore Shooting Association has given me many opportunities and I’m grateful.”

Martina wrote her name in the Singapore's book of national records at 13 when she hit a perfect 400 points in the Women's 10m Air Rifle event at the HomeTeamNS Invitation Shoot on 3 February 2013. She broke Olympian Jasmine Ser's record of 399.