SELANGOR: Even the Sarawak archers had begun accepting silver. Five points behind with one end remaining, Nur Zara Aisyah, Aira Nadirah and Wee Yi Qi looked destined to settle for second before producing a remarkable fightback to win the women’s compound team gold at the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) XXII today (Aug 21).
The trio overturned the deficit in the fourth and final end to finish on 217 points, denying Terengganu’s Airazalia Azrai, Nur Shafiena Mohd Shuhamri and Putri Aqiera Issandra Ismayuddin, who settled for silver with 213.
Fourteen-year-old Nur Zara admitted the team had already come to terms with the result before the final end.
“We had already accepted the silver at that time. We just thought we should do our best. Alhamdulillah, the arrows went in,” said the Luak-born archer.
For Aira, who is competing in her final SUKMA, the comeback came from refusing to let the scoreboard dictate the team’s approach.
“Even if we felt like we were losing, we just wanted to give our best until the end,” she said.
She also revealed how the trio rallied around Nur Zara after one of her arrows went astray.
“I told her it was okay. One bad arrow doesn’t mean it will affect the rest of the round.”
Wee, from Piasau, echoed the same belief despite the daunting deficit.
“Just shoot comfortably. Anything can happen,” she said, admitting the five-point gap had briefly cast some doubt before the trio completed the turnaround.
The gold capped months of preparation together.
Aira said the trio had trained side by side since the centralised camp began in July, building on partnerships formed at competitions in Malaysia and Thailand.
“We spend a lot of time together. During training, we’re always supporting each other and reminding each other to just shoot our best,” she said.
The victory also saw Sarawak’s archery squad surpass its pre-Games target of two gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
