Shalin eyes SEAea Games spot and possibly 21st gold medal

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5  -- Malaysia's tenpin bowling queen, Shalin Zulkifli is confident of being listed for the 2019 Philippines SEA Games this November.

The 41-year-old athlete said she would like to continue serving the country and was determined to claim a spot for her final appearance at the biennial Games scheduled for Nov 31 to Dec 11.

Currently, the experienced player stood in eighth place of the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) national rankings.

Shalin who had suffered a back injury before this has fully recovered and was in a good position of reaching her target.

"Previously, I did not compete in the national championship because I was not selected for the Women's World Championship in Las Vegas. So, I think it's good for me to focus on the recovery process to avoid recurring injuries.

"It turned out to be the right decision and now, I want to focus on the selection for the SEA Games. It is undeniable that the selection process for SEA Games is difficult as only four athletes will be selected compared to the previous six," she said when met by Bernama, here today.

In order to be selected for the national squad and hunt for her 21st gold medal at Southeast Asia biggest sporting event, Shalin will be participating in four tournaments including the Sarawak Open and the Thailand World Bowling Tour in Bangkok on Sept 22-28.

For the record, Shalin has so far has collected 20 SEA Games’ gold medals, while former national swimmer, Nurul Huda Abdullah, holds the record of most number of gold medals won with 22 gold medals achieved in the SEA Games between 1983 and 1989.

Commenting on Malaysia's performance at the 2019 Women's World Championships in Las Vegas that came home empty-handed, Shalin said it was due to the lack of higher-level competition exposure.

The former world champion reckoned that their performance was not a reflection of their true capabilities, and believes the national women's squad could have done better.

"They made a lot of technical mistakes. I believe that they really want to win but that was a world championship, the competition was tough.

"But I think they can do better. It does not reflect their true performance. I think Malaysia can still produce an upset based on their current performance," she said.

Malaysia was represented by Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman, Sin Li Jane, Natasha Roslan, Esther Cheah, Syaidatul Afifah Badrul Hamidi and a new face, Nerosha Keligit, who replaced Shalin in Las Vegas.

-- BERNAMA