KUALA LUMPUR: Up-and-coming national archer Ariana Nur Dania Mohamad Zairi has dubbed her debut outing at the Olympics as an eye-opening experience.
Ariana gave 2022 Birmingham World Games gold medallist Chiara Rebagliati (Italy) a proper scare in the women's individual event round-of-32, forcing a shoot-off before going down 6-5 at Esplanade des Invalides yesterday.
Ariana, who placed 50th in the ranking round on Sunday, is looking to build on her performances in Paris.
At only 19, she is likely to be a bright propect for Malaysia at Los Angeles 2028.
"I accept this result, however, there is a little bit of frustration as I felt that I could have done better. I did feel a little nervous," said Ariana yesterday.
"But considering this is my first Olympics, I can say that I am satisfied. My shooting wasn't that bad, it was quite close in the end.
"The Olympics has a very, very different vibe compared to other competitions. I gained a lot of experience and learnt a lot here.
"I will look to continue improving myself in case I get the chance to compete at the next Olympics."
Ariana and teammates Nurul Azreena Mohamad Fazil and Syaqiera Mashayikh, had earlier this week lost 5-3 to Indonesia in the first round of the women's team event.
Nurul Azreena Fazil took on Turkiye's Elif Gokkir in the women's individual round-of-32 late yesterday. The match was postponed from Wednesday due to poor weather.
Syaqiera had lost 6-5 to Brazil's Ana Sliachticas in their round-of-16 match on Tuesday.
ENDS