‘Our turn to deliver’
It’s time for recurve archers to hit bullseye
THREE down, one to go.
The national compound team have met their three-gold target.
Now, it’s the recurve teams’ turn to get down to business as they seek to achieve their one-gold target at the National Archery Range in Bukit Jalil starting today.
The National Archery Association of Malaysia (NAAM) have set their archers a four-gold total.
The recurve discipline gets under way with two golds up for grabs in the men and women’s individual events.
Despite being set a modest onegold target, the recurve archers, especially the men’s team, will be under pressure to deliver.
The men’s trio of Khairul Anuar Mohamed, Haziq Kamaruddin and Muhd Akmal Nor Hasrin are defi- nitely better prepared, having trained for 27 days in South Korea.
They also competed in three events of the World Cupup series, including in thee Salt Lake City leg in the United States in June where they returned with a morale-boosting bronze.
Haziq said the recuurve archers are ready to ppick up from where thheir compound counterpaarts left off on Friday.
“We were at the rannge to cheer them on and their impressive achievement has inspired us,” said Haziq after the official practice yesterday.
“Now it’s our turn to deliver. We are all fired up to continue their winning run.”
Haziq feels that the recurve team can get more than just the one goldd targeted by winning both the individual and team titles. MalaysiaM are aiming to win the team gold for the fourth straight time and recapture the e individual title they los st in Singapore two yea ars ago.
Ma alaysia lost the men’s individu ual gold when Haziq went downd to Thailand’s Witthaya Thamwong in the final.
“We have got a job to do here and that’s to keep our proud dominance in the recurve going,” said Haziq, who helped the team to victory in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
“The Indonesians have become stronger over the years. We could only beat them 5-4 in Singapore. They are a real threat and will be gunning for us again.”
Malaysia’s four-man line-up has been strengthened by the inclusion of rookie Muhd Zarif Syahiir Zolkepeli. He replaces the off-form Muhd Ikram Joni.
Ikram was part of the victorious team at the Singapore Games.
The women’s recurve trio of Nur Aliya Ghapar, Nur Afisa Abdul Halil and Loke Shin Hui also look capable of springing a surprise judging by their semi-final run at the World Cup in Shanghai in March and their bronze medal finish at the Asia Cup in June.