KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 (Bernama) -- Compound archer Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh hopes that the national women’s compound squad will be sent to compete at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, which is scheduled to take place from Sep 19 to Oct 4.
She said that in various archery competitions this year, her focus is on competing at the Asian Games, which is one of the most important tournaments for her this season.
However, the 35-year-old revealed that so far, there has been no official decision regarding the participation of the women’s compound squad in the quadrennial sporting event.
“The biggest target this year should be the Asian Games, but for the women’s compound team it is still 50-50. I have not received confirmation that the women’s compound team will be sent.
“I hope that with our recent achievements (2026 Asia Cup Archery Championship), we will be given the opportunity to go to the Asian Games. If not, it’s okay, we will just compete in domestic-level tournaments,” she said when contacted by Bernama recently.
At the 2026 Asia Cup (Stage 1) Archery Championship in Bangkok, Thailand last month, Fatin Nurfatehah won three medals - two silvers in the women’s compound individual and mixed team events alongside partner Mohd Juwaidi Marzuki, as well as one bronze in the women’s compound team event.
The national women’s team was made up of Fatin Nurfatehah, Aina Syazwana Abdul Muhaimin, and Ng Sui Kim.
At the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Fatin Nurfatehah was eliminated in the second round of the individual event, while in the mixed team event the national squad advanced to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Malaysia did not send a team for the women’s team event.
Meanwhile, Fatin Nurfatehah, who won a mixed team bronze medal at the 2023 World Cup in Antalya, Turkiye, believes that exposure to international-level competitions is the key factor that differentiates the performance of national athletes from their rivals.
According to her, to compete at the highest level, more frequent participation in overseas tournaments can strengthen mental preparation in facing pressure and the intensity of competition.
“Our opponents take part in more competitions than we do. When you compete more frequently, your experience increases, and in terms of mental and psychological readiness, they are also better prepared because they are exposed to more major tournaments.
“I think the most important thing for an archer to perform at their best is thorough preparation in terms of both physical and mental aspects. When the preparation is sufficient and we step into competition, insya-Allah, we will be able to give our best,” said the athlete from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Fatin Nurfatehah and her teammates are scheduled to compete in the 2026 World Cup (Stage 2) in Shanghai, China from May 5 to 10.
-- BERNAMA
