Malaysian Archer Wins Gold At International Traditional Archery Tournament On Merdeka Day

Norsiani Mohd Nor competed in the Central Asia target 40 metres category at the tournament in Kyrgyztan.

For illustration purposes

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Malaysian archer Norsiani Mohd Nor from Cyberjaya Traditional Archery Club (Cybertra) won the individual gold medal at the President Cup International Traditional Archery tournament in Osh, Kyrgyzstan on 31 August 2023.

She competed in the Central Asia target 40 metres category.

Previously, Norsiani won gold at the International Traditional Archery Tournament in Atyrau, Kazakhstan, held from 27 to 28 April 2023.

Norsiani also won the gold medal with her teammates Radhiah Mohd Dom and Maizlina Sadikin at the 4^th World Nomad Games in Iznik, Turkey, in October 2022.

How is traditional archery different from modern archery?

Traditional archers shoot using a bow made of natural components, have no arrow rest, only one “knock point” on the string, and use wooden arrows with a natural tip.

This also means that “modern” bows such as the Olympic recurve bows that are usually made out of carbonic and synthetic materials are not allowed to be used.

Shooting aids such as triggers, sights, and levelling devices are not allowed to be used either.

This is not to say that traditional archery is superior to “modern” archery. Traditional archery relies on a slightly different skill set as archers would need to shoot instinctively and use their strength to keep the bow at a full draw.

Here’s a video of Norsiani using the traditional bow at the International Traditional Archery Tournament in Kazakhstan back in April.