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Archer Syaqiera dreams of a medal in her second Games

KUALA LUMPUR: A medal would be a dream come true for Syaqiera Mashayikh.

Still, the archer, in her second Olympic appearance, will be delighted if she performs better than her Tokyo 2020 outing in Paris later this month.

The Johor-born was ranked 43rd in the preliminary round of the women's recurve event before bowing out in her opening knockout match in Tokyo.

In the mixed team event, she and Khairul Anuar finished 19th overall.

In Paris, Syaqiera will compete in the individual and team competitions.

The 24-year-old said: "It was frustrating to lose in the first round in Tokyo. But it was a good experience and an eye-opener for me.

"I am better prepared for the Paris outing. My first goal is to rewrite my personal best score of 653 in the preliminary round and take it from there," said Syaqiera, who has a season-best mark of 647.

The archer said she has to stay focused and avoid making the same mistakes as in Tokyo.

"Of course, I hope to at least reach the second round of the knockout stage in Paris," she said.

However, Syaqiera is pinning her hopes on the team event with 19-year-old Ariana Nur Dania Zairi and 20-year-old Nurul Azreena Fazil.

"We only got together in February, but we still managed to earn an Olympic ticket at the World Archery Qualifier in Turkey.

"We reached the final before losing 5-4 to China, winning a silver medal.

"I believe we have the quality to create a few upsets in the team event in Paris," Syaqiera added.

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