Haziq pays heavy price

JULY 30: He was desperate to redeem himself but his eagerness to win saw archer Haziq Kamaruddin bidding an early goodbye to the London Olympics at cricket ground Lord's on Monday.

Having performed poorly in the team event, which saw Malaysia also exiting at the first stage, Haziq took to the competition on Monday with a vow to advance as far as possible in the individual event.

Haziq Kamaruddin's Olympic adventure is over. Pic: Khairul Ghazali

He started brightly, winning the first set 29-27 and then showed neves of steel to pull himself back into reckoning after opponent Denis Gankin of Kazakhstan won the next two (28-27, 28-27) by clinching the fourth 26-25.

However, a poor rist arrow - which gave him just seven points - in the final game cost him dearly as he lost 26-25.

"I was desperate to win after performing poorly in the team event and lost my focus in the final game," said Haziq, 19.

Haziq's exit means Malaysia are now down to two men archers and one will exit in the first round on Tuesday as Cheng Chu Sian and Khairul Anuar Mohamad will face each other while women archer Nurul Syafiqah Hashim takes on Lin Chia En of Taiwan.



Vijesh Rai - NST