SINGAPORE: National shooter Guy Hoh, who was shortlisted for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Bangkok this year, died on Friday (Aug 29) after a battle with cancer. He was 51.
His fiancee, Ms Chew Hui Min, told CNA on Sunday that Mr Hoh had survived two earlier episodes of leukaemia and was undergoing treatment for appendix cancer when he passed away.
According to Ms Chew, he was first diagnosed with leukaemia in his mid-thirties, before suffering a relapse in 2014. He survived both episodes.
In February 2023, he was diagnosed with appendix cancer after his appendix burst. Tests later confirmed the presence of cancer, which eventually spread to his lungs.
He fought this bout of cancer for more than two years, training for the SEA Games even as he was receiving treatment, Ms Chew said.
Mr Hoh was among five national athletes shortlisted for the men’s compak sporting team event at the upcoming SEA Games, according to a list issued by the Singapore National Olympic Council in early August. Three shooters will eventually be picked to represent Singapore in Bangkok.
Compak sporting is a shotgun discipline that involves clay pigeon shooting.
Three-time Olympic shooter Lee Wung Yew said the list of participants had not been finalised, but Mr Hoh was “on the course” to represent Singapore, and he was the top shooter among those shortlisted.
It would have been Mr Hoh’s first time at the SEA Games, as the type of shooting he specialised in is not usually included.
Mr Lee, who has known Mr Hoh for close to 30 years, said Mr Hoh was “super passionate” about shooting.
“He’s one of the few people in Singapore where his love for shooting has no bounds,” said Mr Lee, adding that he had a “really deep interest” in the sport.
Both of them started off shooting similar events, but Mr Hoh was more adventurous and dabbled in various firearms.
Working together to coach a young shooter who eventually made the cut for her first SEA Games was a “special moment” for the pair, Mr Lee said, adding that Mr Hoh’s death is a real loss to the fraternity.
Although Mr Hoh often addressed Mr Lee as “coach”, Mr Lee said they were friends first.
“He was a very jovial person … he’s always looking at the positive side of things, even with his (health situation), we were still joking on WhatsApp,” said Mr Lee.
He brought fun and laughter to shooting ranges, where people are usually very serious, added Mr Lee.
Mr Hoh had been active in Singapore’s shooting sports scene for decades. According to a website he managed, he had been coaching since 1994.
He also founded a business that positions itself as Southeast Asia’s only hunting agency, offering guided hunts and safari management in Africa and other destinations.
He competed in the 2003 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Perth, ranking 49th out of 52 shooters in the Trap Men event, according to ISSF’s website.
Mr Hoh was also remembered by a firearms training group he co-founded, Guerrillas Tactical, which said in a Facebook post that he had been instrumental in the industry.
“He left behind many accomplishments for the firearms industry,” the group said, adding that Hoh was a “great mentor and the most sincere person anyone has ever known.
“But above all, he is a kind of friend who will touch your heart and stay with you through thick and thin.”
CNA has reached out to the Singapore Shooting Association to confirm if Mr Hoh had been selected for the final team.
