Para archery: S'pore's defending champion Nur Syahidah Alim out of world c'ships

Nur Syahidah Alim narrowly lost 147-142 to Tokyo Paralympics champion Phoebe Paterson Pine. PHOTO: SPORT SINGAPORE

SINGAPORE - Defending champion Nur Syahidah Alim crashed out of the World Archery Para Championships in Dubai in the quarter-finals on Wednesday (Feb 23).

The world No. 3 narrowly lost 147-142 to Tokyo Paralympics champion Phoebe Paterson Pine in the compound women open individual 1/4 elimination round.

Briton Paterson Pine later lost 136-132 to Italy's Maria Andrea Virgilio, who will face Russian Tatiana Andrievskaia in the gold medal match on Friday.

Syahidah, 36, had made a bright start to her title defence, finishing as the joint-top qualifier with Andrievskaia, each scoring 680 points.

After receiving a bye, she easily beat Ukraine's Svitlana Shatkovska 139-122 in the 1/16 elimination round.

This was Syahidah's first competition since Tokyo 2020, where she lost in the 1/8 elimination round. The former world No. 1 said: "It was a good start to the season and I'm happy with my progress in the competition.

"Although it wasn't in the cards for Singapore to be in the finals, I made progress in my shooting confidence in windy conditions. It was a tough competition, but I like the challenge."

She said she will continue working on her mental strength ahead of the Asean Para Games in July and her next event, the March 20-29 Para Archery World Ranking Event in Phuket.

Her coach Pang Qing Liang, 31, said the result shows Syahidah's training is paying off. He said: "She did very well, especially in windy conditions. It was very challenging but she was still able to achieve a good standard of performance.

"We've been working on her mental strength and we can see (the work) shine through during this competition through the focus on her routine, her determination and concentration despite the conditions."

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