Quartet making it to London 2012 on merit is the highlight
(Clockwise from right) Khairul Anuar Mohammad, Haziq Kamaruddin, Cheng Chu Sian, Nur Amirah Mohamed, Shahira Abdul Halim, Nurul Syafiqah Hashim and Fairuz SM Rahim.
WITHOUT doubt, this has been one of the most successful years Malaysian archery has experienced in its history.
A record four Malaysian archers qualified for the 2012 London Olympics and several outstanding performances in international tournaments gave rise to hope for a better future for the sport in the country.
Khairul Anuar Mohammad, Haziq Kamaruddin and Nurul Syafiqah Hashim emerged as the next breed of potential champions and along with the experienced Cheng Chu Sian, they could still be treading unchartered waters next year.
Khairul, 20, and Haziq, 18, combined with Chu Sian to secure Malaysia three Olympic qualification spots at the World Championships in Germany while Syafiqah became the first Malaysian woman archer since Mon Redee Sut Txi in 2004 to qualify for the Olympics at the Asian qualifying tournament in Iran.
But it did not stop there as rookie Khairul had a season he will find difficult to forget after also winning the Asian Championships title, reaching the final of a World Cup in Shanghai and taking bronze at the Olympic test event, the London Archery Classic.
The archers then ended the year on a high as Chu Sian led the recurve men to two gold medals at the Indonesia Sea Games.
But none of this could have been imagined just 12 months ago when the archers had a poor outing at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games and the Guangzhou Asian Games.
National recurve coach Lee Jae Hyung made the bold decision to drop several seniors from the elite squad and promote the juniors and what a masterstroke that proved to be.
The likes of Wan Khalmizam Wan Abd Aziz and Nazrin Aizat Mat Nasir, whose performances were inconsistent at best, and the retirement of S. Anbarasi paved the way for the next generation to shine.
Khairul, Haziq and Syafiqah have been the main beneficiaries and proved Jea Hyung's decision to go with youth was the right one.
Khairul is now Malaysia's highest ranked archer at No 7 in the world -- the highest a Malaysian has gone since Chu Sian reached No 9 two years ago.
Chu Sian has since slipped to 40th while Haziq is not far behind at 45th but a few others lurk behind the trio to put them on their guard.
Izzuddin Rahim, Fazli Hisham Fauzi and Arif Farhan Ibrahim Putra will be hoping for a chance to stake a claim to one of three Olympic spots, ensuring a lively contest before the Olympics in July.
Similarly, Syafiqah is not assured of a place in London as Shahira Abdul Halim, the highest ranked Malaysian woman recurve archer at No 84 in the world, Adibah Tajuddin and Nur Amirah Mohamed are all in contention.
In the lead-up to London, the archers will be sent to several major tournaments including the Asian Archery Grand Prix in Bangkok and Kazahkstan and World Cup events in Shanghai, Antalya and Ogden, United States.
With a team world ranking of ninth, Malaysia stand their best chance of an Olympic medal in the men's recurve event.
At Beijing 2008, nerves seemed to get the better of the trio of Chu Sian, Marbawi Sulaiman and Khalmizam, an area which will need to be sorted out before London.
One discipline that has often be neglected but has shown improvement lately is compound archery after Zaki Mahazan finished runner-up at the Asian Championships.
Zaki also claimed silver at the Sea Games in a reminder to both the National Sports Council and the National Archery Association of Malaysia that there is untapped talent in compound archery.
Because compound archery is not an Olympic sport and only recently made it on the Commonwealth Games programme, it has largely slipped below the radar but the performances of Zaki and Datin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh should at least bring some much-needed attention to the event.
On the local front, the National Archery Circuit continues to play a leading role in identifying talent.
Khairul, Haziq and Syafiqah were all first noticed here and have gone on to make their mark internationally in a major boost for the sport in the country.
A record four Malaysian archers qualified for the 2012 London Olympics and several outstanding performances in international tournaments gave rise to hope for a better future for the sport in the country.
Khairul Anuar Mohammad, Haziq Kamaruddin and Nurul Syafiqah Hashim emerged as the next breed of potential champions and along with the experienced Cheng Chu Sian, they could still be treading unchartered waters next year.
Khairul, 20, and Haziq, 18, combined with Chu Sian to secure Malaysia three Olympic qualification spots at the World Championships in Germany while Syafiqah became the first Malaysian woman archer since Mon Redee Sut Txi in 2004 to qualify for the Olympics at the Asian qualifying tournament in Iran.
But it did not stop there as rookie Khairul had a season he will find difficult to forget after also winning the Asian Championships title, reaching the final of a World Cup in Shanghai and taking bronze at the Olympic test event, the London Archery Classic.
The archers then ended the year on a high as Chu Sian led the recurve men to two gold medals at the Indonesia Sea Games.
But none of this could have been imagined just 12 months ago when the archers had a poor outing at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games and the Guangzhou Asian Games.
National recurve coach Lee Jae Hyung made the bold decision to drop several seniors from the elite squad and promote the juniors and what a masterstroke that proved to be.
The likes of Wan Khalmizam Wan Abd Aziz and Nazrin Aizat Mat Nasir, whose performances were inconsistent at best, and the retirement of S. Anbarasi paved the way for the next generation to shine.
Khairul, Haziq and Syafiqah have been the main beneficiaries and proved Jea Hyung's decision to go with youth was the right one.
Khairul is now Malaysia's highest ranked archer at No 7 in the world -- the highest a Malaysian has gone since Chu Sian reached No 9 two years ago.
Chu Sian has since slipped to 40th while Haziq is not far behind at 45th but a few others lurk behind the trio to put them on their guard.
Izzuddin Rahim, Fazli Hisham Fauzi and Arif Farhan Ibrahim Putra will be hoping for a chance to stake a claim to one of three Olympic spots, ensuring a lively contest before the Olympics in July.
Similarly, Syafiqah is not assured of a place in London as Shahira Abdul Halim, the highest ranked Malaysian woman recurve archer at No 84 in the world, Adibah Tajuddin and Nur Amirah Mohamed are all in contention.
In the lead-up to London, the archers will be sent to several major tournaments including the Asian Archery Grand Prix in Bangkok and Kazahkstan and World Cup events in Shanghai, Antalya and Ogden, United States.
With a team world ranking of ninth, Malaysia stand their best chance of an Olympic medal in the men's recurve event.
At Beijing 2008, nerves seemed to get the better of the trio of Chu Sian, Marbawi Sulaiman and Khalmizam, an area which will need to be sorted out before London.
One discipline that has often be neglected but has shown improvement lately is compound archery after Zaki Mahazan finished runner-up at the Asian Championships.
Zaki also claimed silver at the Sea Games in a reminder to both the National Sports Council and the National Archery Association of Malaysia that there is untapped talent in compound archery.
Because compound archery is not an Olympic sport and only recently made it on the Commonwealth Games programme, it has largely slipped below the radar but the performances of Zaki and Datin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh should at least bring some much-needed attention to the event.
On the local front, the National Archery Circuit continues to play a leading role in identifying talent.
Khairul, Haziq and Syafiqah were all first noticed here and have gone on to make their mark internationally in a major boost for the sport in the country.
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