SINGAPORE -Para archer Nur Syahidah Alim returned to winning ways after she clinched the gold in the compound women open at the Phuket Asia Para Archery Tournament 2022 on Sunday (March 27).
The 37-year-old emerged tops after the qualification round with a score of 677 and then beat Thailand's Katemongkon Rhomshalee 143-126 in the semi-finals.
In the final against another Thai archer Homjanthuek Praphaporn, Syahidah took the lead and never relinquished it, eventually outscoring her opponent 142-128.
Syahidah credited her routine before and during her matches - which include breathing techniques, stretching and reminders to herself to stay calm - for helping her stay focused.
"The breathing techniques helped me to keep calm, especially during competitions when I'm about to shoot. My coach (Pang Qing Liang) always reminds me to breathe in confidence and breath out anxiety so that also helps me be more relaxed and better focused on my game," she said.
"We've been practising these even in training so together with my coach and the sport scientists at the Singapore Sport Institute, we worked together to come up with a lot of strategies to build my mental confidence, strength and endurance.
"I was really happy to bring back the gold for Singapore and hear the national anthem play."
Syahidah also had to deal with Phuket's heat, which she said was worse than Singapore's, by drinking isotonic drinks and using iced towels and bags to cool down.
The win will be a morale booster after she was knocked out early at the Paralympics last year and quarter-finals of the World Championships last month. She had arrived in Tokyo as the world No. 2 and entered both competitions as the world champion.
Her next competitions are the first leg of the Para-Archery European Cup 2022 from July 2 to 10, followed by the July 23-30 Asean Para Games - where she hopes to score above her 2017 APG score of 666.
In the meantime, she will also work on continuing to strengthen her mental confidence and refining her processes.
"This time, (I hope to have) better mental confidence. I think with the help of my coach and the SSI, I believe that plan they recommended will help me to be on track to perform in competitions like the APG.
"I have checkpoints along the way but they're monitored by the coaches and sport scientists and they do update me. As an athlete, my role is to shoot my best and follow the plan as closely as possible so I can perform better, especially in major Games."
