Even the best athletes in the world have their off days.
On Saturday (Jan 24) morning, world No. 1 women’s compound para archer Nur Syahidah Alim, hampered by a niggling flu, battled bravely against gust and glare in her gold-medal clash at the Vongchavalitkul University Mook Stadium Field.
The four-time ASEAN Para Games (APG) gold medallist, who triumphed in this event in all of the past three editions in 2015, 2017, and 2022 (the 2023 edition did not feature the sport), admitted she was not in “optimal condition” heading into the decider.
“It’s expected that competing in Thailand would be very hot and windy. And I think as much as I wanted to do well for the finals, I wasn’t in my optimal condition,” the 41-year-old said.
“I’m not feeling very well. But I tried to continue working on applying my cue words and my anchor words, just like what I did in my training.”
Up against the ninth-ranked Indonesian Ferelly Teodora Audi Ayudia, Syahidah fell to a narrow 142-138 loss to settle for a silver on her fourth APG outing.
But the Paralympian was still all smiles as she left the competition arena, waving brightly to the Singaporean supporters who were watching on.
“After the final, I think that I’ve already done my best, even with my condition. But there are a lot of things I would have wanted to do better. Every competition is always a learning experience, so I will reflect on that, and I will do even better for the next one.”
A successful 2025 season saw her win at the Asia Para Archery Championships in Beijing and the Americas Para Archery Cup leg 2 in Chicago before finishing ninth at the World Archery Para Championships in Gwangju.
With APG silver in the bag, another exciting year beckons for Syahidah, with World Archery set to introduce the Hyundai World Archery Para Series.
The series will see her return to Thailand in March, with the first stop set for the capital, Bangkok.
“It will be a busy year for me… my coach is still looking at building up the training programme for this year… (We will focus on) improving technique and self-belief in my shooting process to make it as consistent as possible,” she said, adding that October’s Asian Para Games are also in her sights.
A key addition to her training routine for her APG campaign is a new balancing puzzle game that she does before each match.
She shared that the new mental exercise helps “wake her mind up” before matches and has borne fruit in her run to the final.
Topping qualification with a score of 664 and beating Thailand’s Khuthawisap Wasana (140 – 126) and Bantiloc Agustina of the Philippines (145 – 138) comfortably in the knockouts, Syahidah said that the new warm-up “really helps” in her preparations.
“It’s like warming up a car before a very long drive.”
And she will need every little bit of mental training she can get as she prepares for an equally long and busy season ahead.
