KUCHING: Eight years of hard work finally paid off for Terengganu's Nurul Syaza Husna Mahari as she claimed the Malaysia Games (Sukma) women's 50m compound gold medal today.
Despite trailing in the final, she remained composed and made a strong comeback in the second set, eventually scoring 681 points to secure first place. Federal Territories' Hadira Hisham took the silver and Sarawak's Aira Nadirah Aizuddin won the bronze with an identical score of 680 points.
Tears flowed as Nurul Syaza was announced the winner, a testament to her dedication to archery, which she began at the age of 13.
"Whenever I felt like giving up, I would always question myself about why I joined archery and what I hoped to achieve in this sport.
"That gave me the drive to keep pushing for success, especially since in the eight years I've been involved in archery, there wasn't much to be proud of.
"This victory is undoubtedly a source of pride for my parents. Perhaps this is the result of all the sacrifices," said the Sultan Zainal Abidin University student.
The third of five siblings, she plans to continue competing in the Higher Education Institutions Games (SUKIPT) and hopes to achieve positive results there as well.
"As for my future in this sport, I will see how things develop. If I continue to improve, I might aim to represent the country," she added.