Shooter Xiu Yi wins Singapore's second silver

The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) has been a real eye-opener for shooter Teh Xiu Yi.

The 18-year-old Singaporean won the Republic's second medal of the Games in Nanjing, China, when she and her Egyptian partner Mohamed Ahmed won a silver in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed International Teams Finals.

The duo lost 10-5 to Bulgaria's Lidia Nencheva and Uzbekistan's Vladimir Svechnikov in the gold-medal match at the Fangshan Shooting Hall yesterday.

Teh and Ahmed had earlier defeated Guatemala's Wilmar Madrid and Agate Rasmane of Latvia 10-9 in the semi-finals.

Partnering Ahmed, also 18, was a fresh experience for Teh, who said the cultural exchange she has gained at the Games has been the favourite part of the whole affair.

"I'm really happy with winning silver. To be honest, I didn't expect to get a medal today (because) it's my first time competing in a mixed team event," said the Ngee Ann Polytechnic second-year student.

"The YOG has been a really good experience, not just the competition but also staying in the Athletes' Village and meeting different people.

"There has been a lot of cultural exchanges going on and today's partnership (with Ahmed) was a really good one."

Teh's medal comes on top of the silver fellow Singaporean shooter Martina Lindsay Veloso won in the individual girls' 10m Air Rifle event on Tuesday.

MEDAL TALLY

The latest achievement brings Singapore's tally to two silver medals at the Games.

Singapore, host of the inaugural YOG in 2010, won two silvers and five bronzes four years ago, which included a mixed team bronze in archery.

Teh, who won a silver in the individual 10m Air Pistol at the Asian Youth Games in Nanjing last year, did not have a good start to the YOG when she succumbed to pressure to finish seventh in the final of the same event last Sunday, after qualifying in first place with a score of 382 - the highest she has ever shot in the event.