KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) — Veteran shooter Muhammad Ezuan Nasir Khan is upset with the National Shooting Association of Malaysia (NSAM) for dropping him from the national squad supposedly due to a drop in his form last year.
The 31-year-old, who has been with the national squad for 14 years and fondly known as ‘Tulang’ among teammates, said he was shocked that he and two other seniors – Shahera Rahim Raja dan Joseline Cheah – were dropped despite giving their best each time they donned national colours.
“I was actualy shocked to learn about my axing as I performed consistently in several overseas competitions, including the SEA Games, Asian Shooting Championships and the South-East Asia Shooting Championships (SEASA) last year.
“I’m not sure what kind of criteria the management set that they decided to drop the three of us. It’s not fair as I’ve served the national team since 2005,” he told Bernama today.
National shooting coach Yusri Jusoh was recently reported to have dropped the three seniors and replaced them with four juniors – Haritz Iklil Hessly Hafiz, Nurul Syasya Nadiah Ariffin, Alia Husna Budruddin and Nur Izazi Rosli – who excelled at last month’s Selangor Open Shooting Championships.
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SPORTS-SHOOTING (NSAM) 2 (LAST) KUALA LUMPUR
The decision to drop the senior trio was made after NSAM held a meeting with the National Sports Council (NSC) recently.
Muhammad Ezuan, who won a silver at the 2014 Asian Games, alleged that he was dropped because the coaches in NSAM practised favouritism.
The Royal Malaysian Navy personnel, however, is not giving up as he intends to focus on his preparation for the Ally T.H. Ong Trophy to be held at the National Shooting Range in Subang from March 10-15.
“I’m not sure if I will be recalled to the national squad this year. But I’m confident I stand to have a chance to represent the country if I can achieve good results in several overseas competitions this year,” he said.
— BERNAMA