KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — National para recurve archery coach Marzuki Zakaria says S. Suresh’s gold medal at the World Archery Championships in Hertogenbosch, Holland yesterday is the result of solid support from all Malaysians.
Marzuki said the amazing feat would not be possible without the prayer and support of the people, and that the gold was a bonus achievement for the archery squad.
“My target before the tournament was for at least one of our athletes to make it to the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. For me, he deserved to win the gold because he had given his best performance in this competition.
“Suresh’s performance at this tournament was incredible, where he recorded great scores, kept his emotions in check, listened to the coach’s instructions, and made minimal mistakes,” he told Bernama via Whatsapp, today.
Meanwhile, Marzuki said in general, he was satisfied with the performance of the national squad at the tournament, adding that he was targeting another Olympic slot at the Asian Para Archery Championship in Bangkok this October.
“For the athletes who have yet to qualify for the 2020 Paralympic Games, they still have the opportunity to qualify in this tournament (Asian Para Archery) and if more Paralympic archers qualify for Tokyo (2020), it will be a bonus for our team,” he added.
Suresh won the gold medal in the World Archery Championships after defeating US representative Eric Bennett, 7-3 (26-28, 26-26, 27-25, 26-25, 29-27) in the men’s individual recurve final, booking a spot for himself in the 2020 Paralympic Games.
The last time Malaysia won a medal in the tournament was through the late Salam Sidek who won the bronze in the 2011 edition in Turin, Italy. — Bernama
