KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian archer Ariana Nur Dania Zairi has qualified for the 2024 Olympics.
The 18-year-old earned her Paris ticket on her way to the women's recurve final at the Asian Continental Qualifiers Tournament in Bangkok on Friday and eventually won the gold.
Ariana shot a total of 649 points in the 70-metre (36 arrows) ranking rounds. Along the way, she also set a new national record of 337 points, smashing the previous mark of 331, set by Nur Aqilah Yusof at the 2016 Malaysia Games in Sarawak.
In the final, Ariana, who was not even part of the Malaysian first team, downed Uzbekistan's Ziyodakhon Abdusattorova 7-3.
After topping the ranking round list, Ariana defeated Iran's Yasna Pour Mahani 7-3 in the semi-finals.
In an interview with SpoTV, Ariana said: "I haven't participated in many international competitions, and securing a spot in the Olympics is a very big step for me."
Three other Malaysians have earlier qualified for the 2024 Olympics. They are diver Bertrand Rhodict Lises, sailor Nur Shazrin Latif and shooter Johnathan Wong.