National archer Haziq Kamaruddin dies aged 27

National archer Haziq Kamaruddin died this morning at age 27.

A family member who wished to remain anonymous said the Olympian recurve archer had collapsed after performing the subuh prayer at his house in Kajang.

“He suddenly collapsed as soon as he came out from the toilet after the prayer and lost consciousness,” she told Bernama when contacted.

Haziq’s body is now at the Kajang hospital for post-mortem.

The archer, who hailed from Johor, had competed in two Olympic Games: the London 2012 and Rio 2016 editions. He had been hunting for slots for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to be held from July 23 until Aug 8.

Haziq also represented Malaysia at various levels for a decade and won many medals, including a gold medal at the 2011 Asian Grand Prix in Laos and a bronze medal at the 2019 Asia Cup in the Philippines.

He also won four gold and two silver medals in individual and team events throughout his participation in the SEA Games from 2011 until 2019.

Haziq, together with diving queen Pandelela Rinong, were named the Bukit Jalil Sports School Sportsman and Sportswoman for 2012.

His teammate Zulfadhli Ruslan was among the first to express his condolences over Haziq’s passing on his Facebook account.

“Assalamualaikum, I regret to inform you that my friend Haziq Kamaruddin had returned to his creator this morning. May his soul be showered with blessings and placed among the pious. Let’s pray for him. Al-Fatihah,” he wrote.