Marbawi uses Beijing 2008 experience to help Syaqiera prepare for Tokyo mission

By Amiril Muttaqien Meketar

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2  -- National women’s archery coach Muhammad Marbawi Sulaiman intends to use the experience gained from competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics to help Syaqiera Mashayikh make her mark at this month’s Tokyo Games.

Marbawi, who took part in the men’s individual and team recurve events in Beijing, said he had shared many tips with Syaqiera on how to handle the high-pressure environment when she makes her Olympic debut in the women’s recurve event in Tokyo.

“I always advise her so that she will be mentally and physically prepared because the atmosphere at the world’s biggest multi-sports Games is different and daunting.

“I also teach her how to overcome her nerves because I don’t want her to be overawed by the presence of huge crowds at the competition venue,” he said when contacted by Bernama.

For Syaqiera, the Tokyo Olympics will also be her third international assignment, having competed in the two tournaments in Paris, France - the 2020 Olympic Games Qualifying Championships and Archery World Cup Stage 3 - last month.

Syaqiera had previously missed her chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics after losing to Swiss archer Valentine De Giuli 6-2 in the second round of the women’s individual recurve event at the 2020 Olympic Games Qualifying Championships, which happened to be the last Olympic qualifier.

She and her teammates, Nur Ain Ayuni Fozi and Nurul Azreena Mohamad Fazil, also failed in their bid to qualify for the Tokyo Games in the team event after losing 6-2 to Brazil in the first round of the team event at the Qualifiers.

National Archery Association of Malaysia (NAAM) president Datuk Abdul Hamid Hasan had told Bernama on Tuesday that Malaysia obtained a slot to Tokyo after World Archery found that some among the 64 qualified archers did not meet the Minimum Qualification Score (MQS) of 605 points for the women’s event.

NAAM then selected Syaqiera as she had surpassed the MQS when she obtained 619 points at the last Olympic qualifier besides having performed better than two other national archers at both the meets in Paris.

Meanwhile, Marbawi hopes that the 21-year-old Syaqiera would be able to either equal or improve on her personal best of 619 points at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 38-year-old coach is also confident that Syaqiera will be able to do well in the qualifiers at the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field if she can maintain her consistency level at 80 to 90 per cent, as shown during her training sessions.

He said Syaqiera, who is from Segamat, Johor, could consider herself lucky to be able to compete in the Olympics first as he was actually grooming her for the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam later this year and the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Syaqiera, who will be the third women archer to feature in the Olympics after Mon Redee Sut Txi (2004 Athens) and Nurul Syafiqah Hashim (2012 London), will compete in the women’s individual recurve event and mixed team event with national champion Khairul Anuar Mohamad in Japan.

Khairul Anuar had earlier confirmed his ticket to the Tokyo Olympics by winning a silver at the World Archery Championships in Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands in June 2019.

-- BERNAMA