SINGAPORE – Para-archer Nur Syahidah Alim clinched her second consecutive silver medal at the Asian Para Games, after losing to India’s defending champion Sheetal Devi in the women’s individual compound open final on Oct 22.

But the Singaporean said she was very happy with how she performed throughout the competition at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square in Aichi, where the world No. 2 lost 142-139 to her top-ranked opponent.

With five 10s in the first two ends, Syahidah led 59-55 as Devi managed to score only two 10s.

But, with her title on the line, the 19-year-old Indian responded with six 10s in the next two ends – including four Xs with her arrows hitting the innermost ring – to overturn the deficit before prevailing by three points.

Syahidah, 41, said: “The final was especially challenging with the strong, gusty winds, but I did my best to stay composed and focus on my shooting process.

“I kept reminding myself of my cue words, maintaining my balance and taking it one arrow at a time.

“Of course, I would have loved to win gold, but I’m proud of how I handled the conditions and gave everything I had until the final arrow.

“This silver medal means a lot to me, especially after what has been a challenging couple of years. I’ve had my struggles with performance anxiety, so to come back and perform at this level is something I’m genuinely happy about.”

Her coach Pang Qing Liang felt “incredibly proud” of her performance, saying: “Competing at this level is never easy, especially as the standard of para archery across Asia continues to rise.

“This silver medal is a testament to her hard work, dedication and ability to deliver under pressure.

“More importantly, it shows that she has what it takes to compete among Asia’s best, and that is something we can be very proud of.”

On Syahidah’s performance anxiety issues, the 35-year-old Pang said they will “continue strengthening her mental preparation, refining her shot execution and working on her ability to sustain that level of performance throughout a competition”.

The individual compound title was Devi’s second of the day. Just hours earlier, she had helped India clinch a 151-148 victory over Indonesia in the mixed team compound final.

Syahidah and Devi had also faced off in the Asiad final three years ago in Hangzhou, where Devi fired six perfect 10s to win 144-142.

They met again at the Asian Para Archery Championships in 2023, when the Singaporean won after a shoot-off.

At the ongoing Games in Japan, Syahidah had qualified second behind Devi in the ranking round.

The Singaporean then defeated Kazakhs Zhanat Aitimova and Aizada Seidan before edging past China’s Xu Xueqing en route to the final.

Devi’s impressive run saw her score a world-record 149 out of 150 points in the round of 16 against Hong Kong’s Chan Yuen Wah, before beating the Philippines’ Agustina Bantiloc and Japan’s Aya Shinohara.

She then teamed up with Payal Nag to claim a silver in the women’s compound doubles on Oct 21, after losing to China’s Xu and Zhao Jing.

At the Nagoya City General Gymnasium Rainbow Pool on Oct 22, para-swimmer Toh Wei Soong added a silver to his Asiad haul after clocking 1min 16.09sec in the men’s 100m backstroke S7 final.

China’s Ruan Jingsong won in a Games record of 1:12.16, while India’s Tejas Nandakumar (1:18.58) rounded up the podium.

At the previous edition in Hangzhou, Toh claimed gold in a then Games record of 1:14.99.

The 28-year-old, who also has three bronzes from earlier events in Japan, said: “I can be very hard on myself sometimes, but today’s performance was much closer to what I expect of myself.

“I know I can’t control everything, but today I managed to find that feeling again, and it reminded me of what I’m capable of.

“I’m starting to recognise just how hard I’ve fought to get to this point, and today, I was able to show it.”

Toh, who swims in the S7 category, finished third in the 400m and 100m freestyle and 50m butterfly earlier. He had won the last event in 2023.

He will be defending his men’s 50m freestyle gold on Oct 23.

Meanwhile, in the men’s 50m free S13 final, Wong Zhi Wei clocked a national record of 26.55sec to finish fifth out of eight.

In the women’s 50m free S13 final, Sophie Soon, who swims in the S11 category, also set a national record, clocking 32.97sec to finish last out of six.

Toh’s silver takes Team Singapore’s medal tally to nine at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Earlier, boccia players Jovin Tan and Aloysius Gan had also won silvers, on top of a bronze from Jeralyn Tan. 

Para-cyclist and debutante Amelia Tan was third in the women’s 15km B time trial on Oct 21.