Neo battles pain to shoot for something new

The 8th ASEAN Para Games will be held here from Dec 3 to 9, with some 1,500 athletes from 10 countries competing for honours. As Team Singapore readies for the battle on home ground, TODAY takes a closer look at each of the 15 sports, and the inspirational stories behind the local athletes competing in them. The focus today is on shooting.

SINGAPORE — Life has a funny way of getting people to pause, reflect and sometimes try something new. And that was precisely what happened to national para handcyclist Alvina Neo at the Asian Para Games in Incheon last October.

The 26-year-old, who was born with spina bifida — a congenital disorder that causes the incomplete development of the spinal cord — was on the fourth lap of the 48.6km road race when a dislocated left shoulder ended her campaign prematurely.

Depressed by her slow recovery, and recurring injury, Neo soon found herself a new sport and a new challenge: Air pistol shooting. “My shoulder kept popping out and it was depressing because I could only think of my injury,” said Neo in an interview at the SAFRA Yishun shooting range.

“I was training every night (for handcycling) and suddenly I had nothing to do. I wanted to try something new so I told another athlete friend, Logaraj (Raju), to let me try pistol shooting.”

The 10m air pistol event proved to be the perfect fit for Neo — who is seated, instead of standing while shooting — as it only requires the use of one arm, unlike air rifle, which requires both arms. But this shooting “noob” (slang for newcomer), as Neo described her first outing in June, soon discovered the sport was not as easy as she had thought. “I thought it was easy because you just sit in an air-con’ room and shoot,” she said. “But I was sweating after a session because you have to control your core, and keep your aim stable and concentrate.

“My first official scoring at the trial for the ASEAN Para Games (APG)team was pretty pathetic as I shot 290 out of 400 points.”

In the span of four months, Neo improved to a personal best (PB) score of 367, and the national para shooter is aiming for a PB again when she makes her debut at next week’s APG here in Singapore. Neo is one of 10 debutants in the 11-strong Singapore shooting squad, and she will compete in the 10m air pistol (SH1 class) at the Games.

“I’m expecting it to be really exciting,” said Neo, who works as a telesales representative while pursing a part-time degree in social work at UniSIM. “I want to set a new PB, but every athlete will be hoping for a medal as well.”

Neo will face off against some of the region’s best at the APG, but the gutsy shooter is not one to be cowed easily by adversity. Like many of her peers in Team Singapore’s 157-member contingent, Neo has weathered personal storms and struggles to become the confident young woman she is today.

Diagnosed with spina bifida when she was just 15 months old, Neo was active in sports despite three surgeries on her two club feet. But a hip disorder at age 14 put an end to her sporty days, as she was left unable to participate in her favourite activity: Cycling. Unkind remarks from school bullies and neighbours saw the once-outgoing youngster retreat into herself. “I had a neighbour who called me ‘pai ka’ (crippled in Hokkien). I just became a couch potato … I’m disabled, people look down on me and my self-esteem and confidence hit a low,” said Neo.

In and out of hospital during her Temasek Polytechnic days, Neo finally plucked up the courage to try handcycling at the suggestion of a medical student. It proved to be the morale booster she needed. “It took me two years to try handcycling,” she said. “I was very doubtful of myself then. After starting sports, my confidence improved slowly, it gave me purpose and showed me that there is something I can do.”

Her newfound confidence has also allowed Neo — who walks with help from a crutch — to try other sports, such as dragon boating and kayaking. She will also be participating in Sunday’s Swissotel Vertical Marathon, a run up 1,336 steps over 73 storeys. It has also helped her find her tongue — against cruel comments.

“Once, I was helping a visually handicapped person get to my block and a group of elderly ladies commented they didn’t know if it was the cripple helping the blind or the blind helping the cripple,” she recalled. “I turned to them and said ‘at least I’m helping out, and you’re the ones with two (working) arms and legs’.”