A good archer is known not by his arrows but by his aim. - Thomas Fuller
If I ask you to name the medals that our national athletes have won at international events, you may immediately think of sports like badminton, diving and cycling.
Are you aware that Malaysian archers have made historic achievements in the Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games?
With upcoming recurve archery events happening in Paris 2024, you will want to keep an eye out for these archers who are ready to shine on the archery range! But first, let's look back on the success of Malaysian athletes in archery and the enduring impact they have left on aspiring archers.
Trailblazers in archery: qualifying for the Summer Olympic Games
Although archery was first featured in the 1900 Summer Olympic Games, it is said to have only made its way to Malaysia around the early 1960s.
Those who were enthusiastic about archery at the time didn't even think of taking home medals or joining official recurve archery events: they pursued it as a pastime on the weekends, even using makeshift wooden stands and targets made out of cardboard! As a relatively young sport in Malaysia, early archers received no proper training or coaching so it was mostly experimenting and learning techniques from one another.
Towards the 1970s, archery clubs were set up mainly in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Taiping out of the sport's growing popularity, including:
- The Armed Forces Archery Association
- CRC Archery Club
- The Subang Archery Club
- The Selangor Bowmen
- The Penang Bowmen
Following the expansion of archery in Malaysia, the National Archery Association of Malaysia (NAAM) was founded in 1974 and became affiliated with World Archery the following year.
Not only did this move help to promote the sport throughout the country, it also helped in the planning and development of archery athletes, coaches and other officials.
One of the most important early wins for Malaysian archery happened in 1977 when our national athletes, Dr Cheng Jun and Cheryl Ng, won a combined 3 silver medals and 4 bronze medals in the SEA Games. It was even more memorable as Kuala Lumpur was the host of the Games at the time!
In 2004, Mon Redee Sut Txi became the first Malaysian archer to qualify for the Summer Olympic Games! This was accompanied by other national archers who went on to represent the country in the next Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games...
Learn more about the sport through this introduction to archery.
Success in the Summer Olympic Games: who are the top Malaysian archers?
After the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Malaysian archers continued to qualify for the recurve archery events of the Games, up until the recent Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games!
These are some of the amazing Malaysian archers who have won medals across numerous international competitions and represented the country at the Summer Olympic Games.
Khairil Anuar Mohamad
As one of the top recurve archery athletes in Malaysia, Khairil Anuar Mohamad has joined various international archery events and won medals in the SEA Games (2011-2021), Asian Games (Incheon 2014) and Asian Championships (2011 & 2017). In total, he has made 3 Olympic appearances! Following his amazing performance in recurve archery, he was shortlisted for World Archery's Male Athlete of the Year in 2019.
Haziq Kamaruddin
Did you know Haziq Kamaruddin was just 19 years old when he made his Olympic debut? He represented Malaysia at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, plus four world championships between 2011 and 2017. Among his major achievements are 2 silver and 2 bronze medals on the World Cup circuit as part of the country's recurve men’s team. Sadly, Haziq Kamaruddin, who was also the recipient of the 2011 Johor Athlete Award, passed in 2021 at the age of 27.
Syaqiera Mashayikh
As one of the youngest recurve archery athletes on the Malaysian team, Syaqiera Mashayikh made her Olympic debut in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. She is the third Malaysian female archer to feature in the Olympics after Mon Redee Sut Txi (Athens 2004) and Nurul Syafiqah Hashim (London 2012). She has also won two medals (1 silver, 1 bronze) at the Hanoi 2021 SEA Games.
Along with other outstanding Malaysian archers like Chu Sian Cheng and Muhamad Nor Hasrin, it is clear that these athletes have left a legacy that will continue to inspire new and upcoming archers.
Check out these places to start learning archery in Malaysia.
The spirit of the Paralympic Games: archery medallists from Malaysia
What about the exceptional para-athletes who have represented Malaysia in the recurve archery events of the Paralympic Games?
Para archery, the discipline of archery that offers a platform for physically and visually impaired athletes to compete in the sport, was present at the first Paralympic Games in Rome 1960. Currently, para archers can compete in two shooting categories at the Paralympic Games, which are the W1 and open categories. Archers can participate in these categories depending on their disability classification.
Did you know that para archers may rely on additional equipment used in competitive archery?
The sport of para archery is growing in Malaysia with the rise of talented young athletes and experienced coaches. Here, we want to highlight these trailblazers who have spearheaded the sport of para archery in Malaysia.
Hasihin Sanawi
If you have ever wondered who was Malaysia's first Paralympic medallist in archery, that would be Hasihin Sanawi! He won the silver medal in the men's individual event of the London 2012 Paralympic Games and also participated in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. He has represented the country in other international events too, including the 2014 Asian Para Games, the Bangkok 2015 Asian Para Archery Championships and the 2019 Fazza Para Archery World Ranking Tournament.
Suresh Selvatamby
Suresh Selvatamby got into para archery thanks to former National archer, Suresh Tangaveloo who made it known that the Malaysian team was looking for athletes to join the 2015 ASEAN Para Games. Later, he made his Olympic debut in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, but not before competing in other para-archery events on the international stage. He has won two silver medals in the Fazza International Para Archery Tournament (2017 & 2019) and a gold medal in the 2019 ’S-Hertogenbosch 2019 World Archery Para Championships.
Suresh Selvatamby will also be participating in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games! Do you know the other archers who will be representing Malaysia in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games?
Beyond Paris 2024: what lies in the future of the Malaysia archery team?
These Olympians and Paralympians have demonstrated excellence in the sport and inspired the next generation of Malaysian archers.
In addition to the expert athletes above, we would like to highlight the archers who will be representing Malaysia at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games:
Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games:
- Nur Ariana Dania Zairi, who will be making her Olympic debut at 18 years old!
Paris 2024 Paralympic Games:
- Suresh Selvatamby, who will be joining the men's recurve archery event
- Nur Jannaton Abdul Jalil, who achieved outstanding results in the 2022 Malaysia Para SUKMA
- Daneshen Govinda Rajan, who ranks 18th in the world for compound archery in the men's open category
In addition to international events like the Olympics, Malaysian archers are also making waves (or shots!) in other forms of archery. Traditional archery, in particular, is increasing in popularity following the outstanding achievements of athletes like Dayang Ferazlyn Abang Sahari, who won two gold medals and one silver medal at the 2023 International Traditional Archery Championship.
In September 2024, we will be able to witness our Malaysian traditional archers compete in the World Nomad Games in Kazakhstan, including these three national archers from Sarawak.
As demonstrated by these Malaysian archers, it takes dedication and resilience to succeed in the top forms and techniques of archery.
We can't wait to see what our national archers will do on the international stage!
Become skilled in recurve archery and more with Superprof
If you have been inspired by the success and experiences of our Olympic and Paralympic archers, then you should take this as an opportunity to learn archery.
On Superprof, you can find quality, affordable archery lessons near you. Here's how:
- Make your way to the Superprof Tutors platform and key in "Archery" as your chosen subject. Choose between "Online" or "Face-to-face" archery lessons.
- After the Superprof Tutors catalogue pops up, narrow down the search for your ideal archery tutor by selecting preferences such as tutoring rate, tutor response time, location and archery skill level at the top left corner of the page.
- Select any archery tutor's profile to understand more about the lesson and get to know them through student reviews and a detailed coaching background.
- Click "Book A Lesson" to contact your tutor and conveniently schedule your first archery lesson. That's it!
Superprof makes it easy for students to find the tutor they are looking for, and did we mention you can take your first archery lesson for free? Get these benefits and more when you sign up as a student, only on Superprof.
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