PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s hopes of adding another medal to their World University Games tally were dashed after the women’s recurve team fell short in the bronze medal playoff yesterday. The national trio of Syaqiera Mashayikh, Ariana Nur Dania Zairi, and Alia Qursyiah Mazlan were defeated 1-5 by China’s Huang Yuwei, Liu Yanxiu, and Wu Zihan at Zeche Zollverein, Essen, Germany. Ariana, 19, who competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Syaqiera, said the team had done their best but they could have used more preparation before the games. "We did the best we could and we know what needs to be done to improve. We had the target to win but the exposure for events like these is still lacking," said Ariana. "It’s not impossible to win but the chances were slim." Syaqiera echoed her teammates' comments, saying: "This is a good experience and exposure for us. Even though it wasn’t the best performance, we gave it our all."
