AFTER 20 YEARS IN ARCHERY, FATIN NURFATEHAH FINALLY SEES HER SHOT AT THE OLYMPICS

KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 (Bernama) -- For nearly two decades, Malaysian compound archer Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh has proudly carried the nation's hopes with her bow and arrows. Yet deep down, she held onto a dream she once believed was impossible - to compete at the Olympic Games.

That long-awaited dream has finally been reignited.

Recently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the mixed team compound archery event will be included as a medal event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics (LA28), marking a historic breakthrough for compound archers around the world.

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Fatin Nurfatehah described the IOC’s decision as a turning point in her life - both as an athlete and as someone who never gave up hope.

“Happy, excited and honestly shocked because compound was added at the last minute. It’s truly incredible news, especially for the compound archery community. This announcement gives us new energy because as athletes, we’ve always dreamed of becoming Olympians,” said the 33-year-old archer from Kota Kinabalu. 

“Before this, it felt pointless to dream about the Olympics because compound wasn't part of it. Now that it is, I truly hope to qualify and contribute a medal for the country,” Fatin Nurfatehah told Bernama here today. 

For most of her career, competing in the Olympics felt like an impossible feat for Fatin. Despite years of training and competing in hundreds of tournaments, compound archery was simply not recognised in the world’s biggest sporting stage.

Every time someone asked if she was going to the Olympics, she had to explain that it wasn’t possible because her event wasn’t contested there.

“After this, when people ask me about the Olympics, I can finally say I will try my best to qualify and prepare for it,” said Fatin, who has proven her talent through achievements in global competitions like the World Cup and SEA Games.

Although excited by the opportunity, Fatin knows the journey to LA28 won’t be easy. With about three years to prepare, she admits there’s still a lot to understand about the qualification process and event format, which have yet to be finalised.

“It’s going to be tough because we don’t even know the qualifying system yet. But what I can say now is that preparation can finally begin. We have around three years to get ready for LA28,” she added.

Earlier this year, Fatin and her teammate Alang Arif Aqil Muhammad Ghazalli made headlines by winning the gold medal in the mixed team compound event at the 2025 Asia Cup in Bangkok - a promising sign of Malaysia’s potential heading into the Olympics.

Last Thursday, the IOC officially announced the inclusion of the mixed team compound event as part of the LA28 Olympic medal programme.

Malaysia has consistently produced recurve archers who qualified for past Olympic Games, including three for the Paris 2024 edition.

Now, compound archers finally have their shot.

Athlete profile: Fatin Nurfatehah

Full name: Fatin Nurfatehah Binti Mat Salleh

Date of birth: June 4, 1991

Place of birth: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Hobby: Sleeping

Favorite food: Mum’s laksa and Thai food

Sports idol: Erika Jones (Archery)

Recent achievement: Gold medal – Mixed team, Asia Cup 2025, Bangkok (with Alang Arif Aqil Muhammad Ghazalli)

Career highlights: Gold medal – Team event, World Cup 2015, Shanghai

Bronze medal – Mixed team, World Cup 2023, Antalya (with Mohd Juwaidi Mazuki)

-- BERNAMA