BOWLING: GILLIAN, HAFIZ CLAIM FIRST CAREER TITLES

PETALING JAYA, May 5 (Bernama) -- National women's bowler Gillian Lim made waves by securing her first career title at the 42nd Malaysian International Open Championships 2024 today.

The 25-year-old athlete triumphed over compatriot and defending champion, Lavinia Kho Jia Jie, by knocking down 235 pins in the final held at Sunway Mega Lanes.

The Sarawak-born athlete took home a cash prize of RM30,000.

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Gillian had earlier shown exceptional skill, defeating 2023 world champion Natasha Mohamed Roslan (third place), securing a spot in the Women's Open Masters final.

Commenting on the tie, Gillian said the Asian Tenpin Bowling Championship in Thailand served as her motivation to win this championship, as the Malaysian Open is a key event for earning points toward that tournament.

"I was quite nervous because I was up against Natasha, the world champion, and Lavinia, the defending champion. So all I did was stay calm, focused, and control my breathing with every throw.

"After this, I need to keep grinding, because winning doesn't mean I can relax; I still need to work harder because there are more important matches ahead of me," she said.

In the men's category, Muhammad Hafiz Zainuddin created a surprise by clinching his first title after eight years with the national elite squad. 

The 24-year-old beat the experienced Syafiq Ridhwan Abdul Malik, another compatriot, by knocking down 234 pins in the final, earning a cash prize of RM50,000.

"Next up is the Kuala Lumpur Open, which I will join, and I will focus on that championship, then aim to compete in the Asian Championship in September.

"Although I won, I need to keep working hard because the road to the Asian Championship requires sufficient ranking points," he said.

Third place went to another Malaysian, Wan Muhd Zarif Ikram.

-- BERNAMA