BANGI: Being unseeded has worked wonders for Nur Aina Yasmine Halim as she triumphed by winning the gold medal in the women’s individual compound event at the 2018 Institutions of Higher Learning Games (SUKIPT) earlier today.
The Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UNISZA) undergraduate was cool, calm and collected as she took aim despite the strong winds at the Pavilion Stadium in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
Aina’s success meant disappointment for favourite Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) who finished empty handed in fourth overall with 339 points.
"I am not a national athlete and an unseeded archer here. But I held to my principles that just about anyone who strives and works hard enough can win a medal, so I competed without thinking about the other competitors.
"I honestly did not expect to win today (Sunday) because the winds became quite strong by the second round. Many competitors fell out of contention but I somehow managed to keep the momentum going by remaining calm and focused on what I had to do,” said Aina.
The 22-year-old athlete said that she has happily achieved her target of winning a gold medal at SUKIPT, though it would be an added bonus for her if she could win more in other events after this.
Meanwhile, in the men’s compound event, Alang Ariff Aqil Muhammad Ghazalli from Multimedia University won gold after amassing 663 points.
According to Alang, he was actually lagging behind and was under pressure to perform at the beginning but he managed to calm down and focus to come out tops in the end.
"This is my first time taking part and my first gold medal. I knew that I could succeed when I manage to claw my way back into contention despite performing poorly at the beginning.
“After SUKIPT I will be taking part in the Asian Games trials in Jakarta next week (February 8) because it is the platform for athlete selection for the actual Asian Games,” he said.
There are 14 gold medals to be won in archery at this edition of SUKIPT.
RESULTS
Men’s Compound
Gold: Alang Ariff Aqil Muhammad Ghazalli (MMU), 663 points
Silver: Mohd Hakhiki Mohd Kamro (UNISZA), 660 points
Bronze: Muhammad Fahrur Rosi Choiril Anuar (MSP), 657 points
Women’s Compound
Gold: Nur Aina Yasmine Halim (UNISZA), 642 points
Silver: Syarah Syuhaidah Abas (UPM), 638 points
Bronze: Iman Aisyah Norazam (UNISZA), 636 points
