The Malaysia team with Chok (right) and Lu (back row, left) at the Megalanes Sarawak yesterday. — Photo by Teo Chi Wei
KUCHING: South Korea and Singapore are favourites in the 20th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships (AYBC) but Malaysia can give them, and other teams, a good run for their money.
With World Youth champion Nur Syazwani Sahar and silver medalist Sharukh Amin Zulkifli beefing up the national team, Malaysia has set a target of striking two gold medals in the championships at Megalanes Sarawak from today until next Thursday.
At the last AYBC in Manila, Philippines two years ago, Malaysia captured one gold, two silver and one bronze medals.
This time around, they are looking to capitalise on the home ground advantage for a better performance.
Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) secretary Maradona Chok said yesterday that apart from Syazwani, Sharukh and Sarawak’s Gillian Lim Siew Giok, the rest of the national squad are all new faces.
They are Muhammad Hafiz Zainuddin, Nevern Netaneel Marcellinus and Muhammad Syazirol Shamduddin (boys), sisters from Sabah Nurul Alyssa Junaidi and Nurul Ayunni Junaidi (girls).
Robert Lu, who is the vice president for MTBC and Amateur Bowling Association of Sarawak (Abas), is the team manager while the coaches are Gerald Samuel Jayaraj and Wendy Chai De-Choo.
“Nur Syazwani was the World Youth Girls champion in 2018 while Sharukh was the World Youth Boys first runner-up and we also have World Youth Girls team bronze medalist in Gillian,” said Chok.
“Our bowlers are now ready to blaze the lanes and they had come here early to acclimatise to the playing conditions at Megalanes Sarawak.
“They are getting used to it,” he added.
Chok said although Malaysia had set a two-gold target all the bowlers had equal chances of winning in any event and he hoped that the national bowlers will give their very best to win honour and glory for the nation.
For the record, Malaysia’s best achievement in AYBC was in 2015 in Macau where they brought back six gold and two silver, with Muhd Rafiq Ismail bagging three gold and Nora Lyana Natasia winning two gold.
Ten gold medals are at stake in the boys/girls singles, doubles, mixed team, all around and masters.
The 20th edition of AYBC attracted 76 bowlers from 10 countries namely Australia, Bahrain, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Macau, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.