KUALA LUMPUR – National archer Ariana Nur Dania Zairi’s journey at the Paris Olympics ended in disappointment last night as she bowed out in the 1/32 elimination round of the individual recurve event.
In a gripping single-arrow shoot-off tiebreaker against Italy’s Chiara Rebagliati, the 18-year-old narrowly missed victory with final scores of 27-27, 24-25, 27-28, 28-29, 27-29, and 9-10 at the Invalides.
Despite her best efforts, it was a heartbreaking result for Ariana, who felt she had the potential to do better. Unfortunately, nerves got the best of her in this high-stakes match.
Previously, Ariana also faced similar pressure during the team event qualifiers.
She, along with her teammates Nurul Azreena Mohamad Fazil and Syaqiera Mashayikh, finished 10th out of 12 teams.
In the elimination round, they were subsequently knocked out by Indonesia.
However, Ariana remains satisfied with the invaluable experience of competing at such a high level, as she and her teammates made history by becoming the first Malaysian women’s archery team to qualify for the Olympics.
“Overall, I can say, Alhamdulillah, I accept whatever the outcome was today. However, from my perspective, there is some frustration because I know I have done better and can do better.
“But, as my first Olympic Games, I feel satisfied. The Olympics have a vibe that is very, very different from other competitions. So, I gained a lot of experience and lessons from here.
“There wasn’t much external pressure, more on myself really. Maybe I was just a bit nervous earlier, especially during the shoot-off.
“But, I can say that my shooting wasn’t that bad. It was actually okay. The competition was very intense for me.
“As I said earlier, there are many experiences and lessons I can take from this to improve myself. Hopefully, if I am fortunate enough, there will be another opportunity for me at the next Olympics,” said Ariana to the Olympic Council of Malaysia in a post-match interview.
Yesterday, Syaqiera also made history by becoming the first Malaysian woman archer to advance to the second round of the individual recurve event after defeating Alexandra Mirca from Moldova with a score of 6-0.
However, she narrowly lost 5-6 to Brazilian archer Ana Luiza Sliachticas Caetano. – August 1, 2024