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.
He lives with Erb’s Palsy, a condition resulting from a traumatic birth that damaged the nerves in his left arm and shoulder.
Chan is on the Sport Excellence Scholarship (spexScholarship), which provides high-performing athletes with support in areas like education, career and developing their sporting potential.
He said funding from the programme has allowed him to travel more for international competitions and training camps.
In 2022, he narrowly missed out on a medal by placing fourth at the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in Changwon, South Korea.
Last year at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, he finished fifth with a personal best score and earned a ticket to Paris – a pleasant surprise as Chan did not expect to qualify. 
“It was my very first major Games. (My coach and I) were just there for the experience,” he said.
“There was a quota placing (for Paris) but it wasn’t part of our plan, because we knew how strong the Asian team was. So, when we knew we had a quota placing, we were really surprised, or rather, shocked.”
He is aiming for a top-eight finish in Paris, adding that “anything more will be a huge bonus”.
Chan attributed his journey to the Paralympics to the support of his family, his coaches and the shooting community.
His coach Deanne Pheong said qualifying is already a dream come true – for both of them.
“It’s a dream for all athletes to be able to participate in the Olympics or Paralympics. It’s also a dream for all coaches. So, it’s a dream for me too. I’m very, very honoured to be his coach,” she said.
She wants Chan to approach the upcoming Games with a regular mindset, shooting like how he has been practising and without additional stress.
Chan will make his debut on the Paralympics stage on Friday (Aug 30) in qualifiers.
Catch Team Singapore at the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 live and on-demand on mewatch for free at mewatch.sg/paris2024.