Fatin’s Robin Hood inspiration fuels Asiads medal hunt

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, September 20, 2026

Malaysian archer Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh is preparing to compete at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, aiming to win her first medal after narrowly missing the podium in 2023. With extensive international experience, recent world titles, and focused training in South Korea to adapt to conditions, she is also targeting qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where compound archery will debut.

Malaysian archer Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh is aiming to secure her first Asian Games medal at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya 2026 event, building on her extensive experience and recent successes. At 35 years old, Fatin is a five-time Southeast Asian Games gold medallist and a world-ranked competitor who narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where she was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the compound mixed team event.

Having recently completed her doctorate in Sports Science at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Fatin says she is now fully focused on her athletic goals. “There’s no distraction this time. It was tough to balance my academics with archery but I’m done with studying now,” she explained. Her primary objective is to reach the podium, regardless of medal color.

Fatin’s archery journey was inspired at a young age by the figure of Robin Hood, an interest sparked when her mother encouraged her to pursue the sport. Since then, she has set multiple national records, including achieving a score of 704 out of 720 in 72 shots during the 2023 Paris World Cup, an event that saw her crowned world champion. She also won gold in the women’s team event at the 2015 Shanghai World Cup.

Despite these accomplishments, the Asian Games have proven particularly challenging for Fatin, with the medal continuing to elude her. Currently ranked 25th globally, she earned a silver medal at the Madrid World Cup in July and has been training in South Korea to acclimate to colder weather conditions similar to those expected in Japan during the Games. “Training has helped me get used to shooting arrows in colder weather since Japan will be similar,” she said.

Looking beyond the Asian Games, Fatin also aims to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The compound archery event, in which she specializes, has only recently been included in the Olympic program, making her aspirations both timely and ambitious. “Every archer dreams of being an Olympian, and it’s the same for me. Previously, they didn’t have my event – compound – but it has been added for 2028. It’ll be tough but that dream can be realized soon too,” she noted.

Fatin is scheduled to begin her competition at the Asian Games on September 26 in the women’s compound individual event, with hopes high that she will translate her hard work and experience into a historic Asian Games medal.

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