SELANGOR: Sarawak’s archers kept their nerve until the last arrow, staging a stunning comeback to clinch gold in the women’s compound team event at the Stadium INSPEN here today.
The trio of Wee Yi Qi, Aira Nadirah and Nur Zara Aisyah overcame a four-point deficit in the third end to defeat Terengganu’s Airazalia Azrai, Nur Shafiena Mohd Shuhamri and Putri Aqiera Issandra Ismayuddin 217-213.
The Sarawak trio produced a strong final end to overturn the deficit and secure the gold medal, adding another title to Sarawak’s impressive archery campaign.
The victory was Sarawak’s third archery gold at the Games, surpassing the squad’s initial target of two gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
Sarawak had also struck gold in the mixed compound team event, with Eason Lau Hui Wan and Wee Yi Qi battling back in the final two ends to edge Kedah’s Muhammad Zaim and Ili Nabihan Shafizan 151-150.
Another gold came earlier on August 18 when Joey Tan Xing Lei successfully defended her women’s recurve 70m title.
Archery coach Jaffrey Low said the latest victory reflected the team’s strong mentality and determination to keep fighting until the very end.
“Until the last arrow, you never know what will happen. Never give up. We can only do our best,” he said.
Jaffrey said the team had maintained a positive mindset throughout the competition, even when they had yet to hit their medal targets in the earlier events.
“We stay positive because we know that the last few days are usually our stronger events,” he said.
He also credited the strong support among the archers and coaches for helping the squad maintain its spirit throughout the competition.
“Everyone really supports each other. From day one until today, everyone is still keeping their spirit very high, and I think that is one of the main things that helped us stay positive,” he said.
