Silver motivates Syahidah to ‘keep pushing forward'

For a period after the 2024 Paralympics, Singapore para-athlete Nur Syahidah Alim found herself in a rut, weighed down by the pressure of competition and questioning her archery pursuit.

- David Lee

But a break to reset both mentally and physically appeared to work wonders.

The 39-year-old was beaming on Feb 10 after claiming the women's individual compound open silver at the Asia Para Cup-World Ranking Tournament in Bangkok.

Although she was pipped to the title by a one-point margin in the 143-142 final loss to India's Sarita Adhana, it marked a creditable return to competition since she crashed out in the last 32 at the Paris Games last August.

Syahidah, who was born with diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy marked by stiff lower limbs and difficulty walking or standing for extended periods of time, said:

"(After Paris) I had the chance to slow down, reflect and reconnect with why I started archery in the first place.