How I Became A World Champion Archer

Nur Syahidah Alim was 18 when she first tried archery and 30 when she became a professional archer. Over the next four years, the now 34-year-old amassed seven gold, two silver and eight bronze medals, and was recently crowned World Champion at the 2019 World Archery Para Championships. We asked her for sporting tips and sought a peek into the secrets behind her success.

Q: Hi Syahidah! What made you pick up archery? What was going on in your life during that time?

A: I first learnt about archery at a disability expo at the age of 18. I picked up archery because I loved the feeling of seeing my arrows at the centre of the target. At that time, I shot as part of my recreational activities during the weekends. I enjoyed learning about the sport, which in turn became a passion.

I only started shooting competitively in 2015; ASEAN Para Games in Singapore was my debut. During the time I was representing Singapore, I was working at Sport Singapore as an executive in the Strategy and Planning division.

Did you think, when you first started, that you would become a World Champion Archer someday? Was it a goal you worked towards or just… luck?

Becoming a world champion was one of my goals during my career as a competitive archer. It took 4 years for me to achieve that goal.

How did you start representing Singapore in the sport? What did you have to do to get on the national team?

After I graduated from NTU [Nanyang Technological University of Singapore], I was in a dilemma: if I should focus on my work or continue archery. It was through the encouragement of my Mom that I tried out for the national team. I went to one of the selection trials for the para archery teams, with no expectations, and (surprisingly) got in.

I had to train in the development team for one year before I was able to represent Singapore in archery in 2015.

Looking back, it was a long and hard road of sacrifices to reach and continue to be part of the national para team. However, I tried to enjoy the process as much as I could.

You’ve got more than six gold medals so far, so what’s your secret? What do you do before every game to get into the zone?

Archery is both a mental and physical game. Before every game, I will remind myself to focus on my process and simply enjoy the game. Breathing exercises (“Breathe in confidence, breathe out anxiety.”) help to keep me calm before I begin shooting.

What about your training routine, what is that like? How do you train on weekdays and how do you train on weekends?

I train about 30 hours per week, both weekdays and weekends. My training programmes include both archery training sessions, gym sessions and other SSI [Singapore Sport Institute] support such as nutrition, psychology, biomechanics and medical sessions (e.g. physiotherapy).

Which 3 objects or people are most useful for you when you’re preparing for a game?

1—My coach (Pang Qing Liang), 2—Saunders’ Firing-Line (i.e. my travel-friendly bow trainer), and 3—my visualisation audio clip.

What setbacks have you had in your career as an archer? How did you move past those?

I had many setbacks during my career as an archer, from not having a dedicated training venue for para archers (which [meant we] ended up with jumping from [one] archery range to [another] range), to injuries and naysayers. At one point, I experienced a very bad slump that almost made me give up archery.

But what kept me going were the reminders from my support system and sponsors about my passion for the sport and grit. I felt that I still had more to give to and for Singapore. I am very grateful for them having my back when I am down in the slumps.

What did you learn from becoming World Champion Archer that you didn’t know before? How did you change as a person?

I think having a champion’s mind is important in sports. I learnt that having a process-oriented mindset in competitions helps me to be at the present moment and focus on the most important thing—i.e. process. Archery, in general, has made me into a stronger, resilient and confident person.

If you could go back and replay your entire archery career all over again, what would you do differently?

I wouldn’t do anything different.

What advice do you have for those who hope to become world champions too?

My advice is to be 100% committed to your goals and dreams. Work with those who can help achieve your goals. Communication, clarity of roles and trust is important—i.e. once you have identified who you can work with, have a short meeting with them to discuss a training plan, have a clear understanding of your roles and expectations as an athlete and the role or the coach and other support personnels, as well as ensure that trust and open communication/feedback with everyone is always available.

Remember that this is a team effort.

Syahidah is presently a spexScholar and Paralympian, busy with competitions and training camps in preparation for Tokyo 2020, and also with competing at the Asian Para Archery Championships 2019 in Bangkok this October. You can follow her on her Facebook page (@nsyah.alim) to see where she will be training at next (“Feel free to say Hi when you see me, I promise I won’t bite.”), see her full sporting portfolio on her website, or ask her questions about sports and personal success using the comment box below.

Photographs courtesy and copyright of Nur Syahidah Alim, Sport Singapore, World Archery. Interviewer: Sy
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