Shooter Alia breaks Asian record en route to pistol gold

On point: Shooter Alia Sazana Azahari scored 44 hits during the final of the 25m pistol event at the Asian Rifle-Pistol Cup in Bangkok.

KUALA LUMPUR: National shooter Alia Sazana Azahari’s dream has come true.

Yesterday, she fired her way to gold and shattered the Asian record in the women’s 25m pistol event at the Asian Rifle-Pistol Cup in Bangkok.

The 33-year-old Alia scored 44 hits during the final at the SAT Shooting Range to erase the previous Asian record of 41 hits set by South Korean Yang Jiin at the 2024 Asian Shooting Championships in Jakarta.

South Korea’s Lee Siyoon, with 32 hits, took home the silver medal while Singapore’s Teh Xiu Yi completed the podium after scoring 28 hits to clinch bronze.

This was Malaysia’s second gold in the tournament after Nurul Syasya Nadiah Mohd Arifin dominated the women’s 10m air pistol with 239.3 points on Thursday.

“Winning the gold is one thing, but breaking the Asian record is definitely a dream come true,” said Alia.

“It is definitely a huge step for me. I’ve accomplished one of the milestones that I’ve set in my career.

“I’ve always thought about how can I get there and seeing the champions who have been doing it all these years.

“Those thoughts fuelled my ambition to reach that goal.”