Fatin carries M’sia’s last hope and aims for semis spot

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, October 1, 2026

Malaysia’s Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s compound archery event and will face South Korea’s Park Jung-yoon for a spot in the semi-finals. With all other Malaysian archers eliminated, Fatin is now the country’s last hope to progress further in the competition.

Malaysia’s national archer Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh is set to carry the country’s remaining hopes in the women’s compound event as she faces South Korea’s Park Jung-yoon in the quarter-finals at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square in Aichi. The match is scheduled for today, with a spot in the semi-finals at stake.

Fatin, ranked 26th in the world, enters the contest as the higher-ranked archer compared to Park, who is 66th. However, she remains cautious, acknowledging that her ranking may not guarantee an advantage. Fatin secured her place in the quarter-finals after a narrow 147-146 victory over Thailand’s Kanoknapus Kaewchomphu in the round of 16.

“This will be my first time facing the Korean archer and I expect it to be a very close fight for a place in the semi-finals,” Fatin said. “But we never know what will happen on the day, so I will just do my best. Hopefully, if things go my way, I can make it to the semi-finals.”

Earlier rounds saw the exit of several other Malaysian archers. Iman Aisyah Norazam was eliminated after losing a shoot-off to Taiwan’s Chen Fang-yi, with both archers tied at 145 points at the end of regular play. In the men’s compound category, Malaysia’s representatives Juwaidi Mazuki and Alang Arif Aqill were both defeated in the round of 16 by South Korean opponents—Juwaidi 145-147 to Kim Jong-ho and Alang 145-149 to Choi Yong-hee.

Malaysia’s presence in the recurve events also ended, with Evan Chong falling 2-6 to Taiwan’s Tang Chih-chun in the last 16. Other Malaysian recurve archers were knocked out earlier in the competition. Quik Chern Xin lost 0-6 to South Korea’s Kim Je-deok during the qualifying round, while Ariana Nur Dania Zairi and Joey Tan were also eliminated at this stage. Ariana was defeated 0-6 by Indonesia’s Diananda Choirunisa, and Joey mounted a stronger effort before losing 3-7 to Taiwan’s Li Tsai-chi.

As the tournament progresses, Fatin remains Malaysia’s sole contender aiming to advance further and represent the country in the later stages of the women’s compound archery event.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.