King of shoot-offs

Focused: Khairul Anuar Mohamad in action during the men’s recurve individual competition at the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Tokyo.

PETALING JAYA: Just call him the “King of shoot-offs”!

National archer Khairul Anuar Mohamad certainly deserved the tag for the great level of composure he showed in the one-arrow shoot-off not once but twice to help him sneak into the last 16 of the men’s recurve individual competition yesterday.

It all went down to wire in the first round when Khairul recovered from 1-5 down to draw level 5-5 (26-29, 28-28, 26-27, 28-22, 25-13) against Finland’s Antti Vikstrom at the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Tokyo.

In the shoot-off to decide the winner, Khairul fired a bullseye (10) to outscore his Finnish rival’s nine to clinch the tie 6-5.

Khairul returned shortly to overcome China’s Wang Dapeng in almost a similar fashion, except it was the Malaysian who failed to close out in regulation play.

He was 5-3 up but lost the final set to allow his opponent to draw level 5-5 (25-28, 28-28, 27-26, 29-26, 26-27).

To Khairul’s relief, he managed to hit another 10 during the one-arrow decider for the second time in the day to edge Dapeng, who posted a nine.

He will know today who his last 16 opponent will be but barring any upset, it should be fourth seed Kim Woo-jin of South Korea.

“I am so grateful to make these two comeback victories, maybe it was destined,” said Khairul.

“I managed to steady the ship and prevail in the shoot-offs.

“I was a little bit upset with myself for not being able to close out the fifth set (against Dapeng). I was too eager to win and I lost focus there.”

Good finishing under pressure was not Khairul’s forte in the past but he must have toughen up after a painful experience in the final of the World Championships in Holland two years ago.

Then, he suffered a major heartbreak after being denied to a historic world crown by American Brady Ellison through the one-arrow decider. His arrow landed on “eight” while Ellison hit the bulleye.

“I’m still not too happy with my shooting form. I’m still inconsistent, this is definitely an area that I have to address in the knockout stage.”

Khairul will be bidding to become the first Malaysian archer to make it to the medal playoffs.

His best outing is a quarter-final finish at the 2012 London Games.