On any weekday evening, you will find Nur Syahidah Alim at Queenstown Stadium. Drawing a bowstring against her cheek, she holds a breath, aims and lets the arrow fly.

The next day, she will be back again, practising the graceful movements over and over. The athlete has a training schedule that runs five days a week, from 7pm to 9.30pm after work. Closer to competitions, her training includes six hours on the weekends.

Her hard work has paid off. The 30-year-old, who goes by the name Syah, has made history as the only female archer to represent Singapore at the ASEAN Para Games, hosted here for the first time in December 2015. She also won two gold medals for the women’s individual compound and mixed team compound final.

Syah was born with cerebral palsy that affects her lower limbs. But having a weak lower body has never stopped her from being active. She took up archery at 18, and in 2014, became a competitive archer. Her lunch hours at Sport Singapore (SportSG), where she is a Corporate Strategy Executive, are often spent brisk walking or in the gym with colleagues.

Syah has worked with volunteers and operations staff for major sports events, such as the 28th South East Asian Games. The commitment of those behind the scenes, she says, motivates her to excel in her sport.

The fervour of competition is infectious too. “I could feel how hard the athletes have trained to be where they are,” she says. “There is no shortcut to excellence. The more I attended these competitions, the more I was thrilled to compete at the ASEAN Para Games.”

In the lead-up to the Games, her colleagues encouraged her with thoughtful notes. An embossed card reads: “Believe you can and you’re halfway there”.

At SportSG, she also gets to work alongside Singapore’s sports pioneers, such as former track athlete C Kunalan. Syah says of him: “He inspires me to be a better sportsperson – to excel, be humble with achievements, and be the voice for inclusiveness in sports.”