Bangkok: Johnathan Wong and Joseline Cheah's aspirations of securing Malaysia's second gold medal in shooting at the 2025 South East Asian (SEA) Games were thwarted following a disappointing performance in the qualifying round of the mixed team 10 metre (m) air pistol event.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, despite their struggles in the qualifiers, the pair managed to clinch a bronze medal by defeating Myanmar's Khaing Khaing Wai and Ye Tun Naung with a score of 16-8 in the bronze medal decider at the Sports Authority of Thailand shooting range. Johnathan acknowledged that their weak performance, which saw them score 563 points and place fifth among six competing nations, hindered their pursuit of the gold medal. However, he regarded their bronze medal as a noteworthy achievement, marking Malaysia's first medal in the mixed team event.

"Our target today was actually the gold medal decider but unfortunately we performed less than satisfactory in the qualifying round. It seems like a lot of things are out of what we predicted but in the final (bronze decider), I can say we performed well. Hopefully, we will perform better in the upcoming SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur," Johnathan expressed after the match.

Teammate Joseline shared her experience, admitting to feeling the pressure to excel following her bronze medal win in the women's team 10 m air pistol event the previous day. "Today I feel pressured a bit, because I have seen what I could improve yesterday, so today I felt like doing better but the outcome wasn't what I thought. Luckily I could correct it in the final," she explained.

The gold medal in the mixed team 10 m air pistol event was claimed by Indonesia's Muhamad Iqbal Raia Prabowo and Putri Darmoyo Arista Perdana, who defeated Vietnam's Trinh Thu Vinh and Pham Quang Huy with a score of 17-9.