KUCHING: Inspired by the archery competition at the Paris Olympics, Arlia Nur Falisha Mohamad Zairi delivered a golden performance for the Federal Territories (FT) at her Malaysia Games (Sukma) debut today.
The 16-year-old, who is the younger sister of Olympian Ariana Nur Dania, emerged victorious in the women's individual recurve final, defeating her teammate Jeslynn Kaur Rajinder Singh 6-4 in a match watched by both her sister and their mother at the Archery Range in Petra Jaya, near here.
Arlia's journey to gold was even more remarkable given her limited preparation time. She only had one week of centralised training after returning from Paris, where she had been supporting Ariana in her Olympic quest.
"I returned from Paris and immediately jumped into training. With just a week to prepare, it was non-stop training morning and evening. Alhamdulillah, it all paid off," she said.
"In Paris, I learned so much by observing my sister and other international archers. It indirectly boosted my performance here. I aspire to reach their level and hopefully compete alongside my sister at the Olympics one day," she told reporters after her gold-winning feat.
The third of four siblings described the final as intense, noting that facing a teammate added an extra layer of challenge.
The bronze medal in the women's recurve was claimed by Johor's Nurin Iman Mohamed Sham, who outshot Terengganu's Nurul Izzah Mazlan in a dramatic shoot-off after a 5-5 tie.
In the men's individual recurve, Muhammad Haiqal Danish Syamsul Affandi from Pahang secured the gold, defeating Selangor's Ahmad Razin Azahar 6-2 while the bronze went to Terengganu's Muhammad Saiful Islam Mohd Rizuwan, who edged out Johor's Muhammad Akid Bazli Ezaidin 6-4.
Muhammad Haiqal, 19, attributed his victory to his mother's advice to "pray to Allah before competing," which helped him remain calm and consistent throughout the final, redeeming himself after falling short in three other events at the biennial games.
The national archer also contributed three silver medals in the mixed recurve, men's team recurve and men's individual qualification events.
"I'm overjoyed to finally achieve my goal of winning gold. My next target is to compete in the 2025 Sea Games," said Muhammad Haiqal, who began his archery journey at the age of nine. - BERNAMA