KAJANG, Aug 22 — The state's archery athletes finally secured their first gold medal at the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) through the mixed team recurve event at Stadium INSPEN this morning.
The pairing of Nur Ieka Hariesya Zainal Habsahli and Muhammad Rizq Arif Kharul Nezam put on an impressive performance to defeat Penang representatives M. Khiritigaa and Ammar Muhaimi Md Shuhaidi 6-0 in the final.
Selangor dominated from the outset, recording scores of 38, 36, and 37 in the first three sets to ensure the gold medal went to the state contingent.
Rizq said the victory was particularly meaningful as it earned him his first gold medal in his second appearance on the SUKMA stage.
“I am very happy to have been given the opportunity to win gold for the team; it was most surprising.
“We have been training together since the beginning of the year. So, our understanding was very strong, and then we were paired together for SUKMA and won,” he told the media.
Meanwhile, Ieka described the gold medal as the most meaningful gift for both her parents, who were present at the stadium to show their support.
“They had not been able to attend and support me for a long time because they said they did not want to disturb my focus, but I really appreciated their presence this time.
“It did not put any pressure on me at all. Instead, this medal is a special gift for them,” she said.
Meanwhile, state archery team manager G. Thyagarajan said he was satisfied with the team’s overall performance despite failing to achieve its target of two gold medals.
“Overall, we contributed one gold, two silver, and three bronze medals in archery. So, we are very, very grateful.
"Although we did not achieve our target of two gold medals, we are thankful to have contributed one gold medal to Selangor.
“I am satisfied with our athletes’ performance. Perhaps it was simply not our day, and today we were also very fortunate that Tuanku’s arrival brought us the good fortune of winning gold for the Selangor contingent,” he said.
Thyagarajan added that the achievement was an improvement on the Sarawak edition in 2024, when Selangor’s archery contingent returned with six silver medals.
Also present to witness the final was the Raja Muda of Selangor Tengku Amir Shah, who later presented medals to the winners.
