SINGAPORE: Li Yue Long and Tabitha Yeo delivered Singapore’s maiden SEA Games gold in the mixed recurve team event final on Wednesday (Dec 17).

Singapore beat Malaysia 6-2 at the Sports Authority of Thailand’s football field in Bangkok to take the top prize.

According to data from the Singapore National Olympic Committee, the previous best in the mixed recurve team event was a silver medal at the 2013 SEA Games, while Contessa Loh won Singapore’s sole archery gold in the women’s individual event three years ago. 

The mixed recurve team beat the Philippines and Indonesia en route to the final. Mixed recurve is when one male archer and one female archer shoot together while using recurve bows. Such bows have limbs that curve away from the archer at the tips.

Separately, Yeo lost 6-4 to Vietnam’s Dao Thi Loc in the bronze medal match of the women’s individual recurve event on Wednesday.

This is Singapore’s first archery medal of the Thailand Games, with the nation’s archers contesting two more finals – women’s compound team and women’s compound individual – on Thursday, along with the mixed compound team who will play for the bronze.

Madeleine Ong will face Indonesia’s Ashrifah Nurisa Dian in the women’s compound final.

In a Facebook post, the Archery Association of Singapore congratulated the mixed recurve team for securing gold.

“Team Singapore shines in the recurve mixed team event! Great effort and performance in recurve women as well. Congrats Li Yue Long and Tabitha Yeo – proud moment for Singapore!” it said.