Late Mum’s Memory Drives Muhammad Isyraq To First SUKMA Gold

PETALING JAYA, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- The memory of his late mother proved the biggest source of inspiration for Sarawak kegler Muhammad Isyraq Iqbal Ramadhan as he struck his first-ever Malaysia Games (SUKMA) gold medal at the Selangor 2026 edition here today.

The 19-year-old knocked down 1,331 pins (206-279-187-231-194-234) in the men’s singles event to take home the gold medal.

Penang’s Muhammad Adam Darwish Dzulhakimy (1,283 pinfalls) and Pahang’s Muhammad Sufi Fitri Jumalis (1,260 pinfalls) took silver and bronze, respectively.

Competing in only his second SUKMA, Muhammad Isyraq dedicated the victory to his late mother, Norlia Morshidi, who passed away from heart disease last year after being a constant source of support throughout his bowling journey.

“This (gold medal) is for my mom. I did it for her. She was there from the first time I started bowling at the age of nine,” he told reporters after clinching gold at the Sunway Megalanes, Sunway Pyramid, here.

The victory marked a significant milestone for the Kuching-born bowler, who had previously won a bronze medal in the team event on his debut at the last edition back in his home state of Sarawak.

Reflecting on his performance, he admitted that the fifth game was his toughest after failing to find his rhythm.

He said he had difficulty finding his rhythm after failing to convert several shots and spares, but managed to regain his focus and put the setback behind him.

Muhammad Isyraq hopes the victory will provide a significant boost to his aspirations of representing Malaysia at the 2027 SEA Games.

Malaysia will host the upcoming biennial Games across four clusters - Sarawak, Penang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur - from Sept 18-29.

SUKMA Selangor 2026, which kicked off Aug 15, will run until Aug 24. 

-- BERNAMA