KUALA LUMPUR: Gillian Lim got Malaysia’s Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships title defence off to a flying start by capturing the women’s singles gold medal in Doha, Qatar, today.
The 27-year-old produced a six-game total of 1,368 pins to finish 31 pins ahead of Taiwan’s Li Yi Rou (1,337), while South Korea’s Baek Seung Ja settled for bronze with 1,328.
Gillian recovered from a modest opening game of 164 with scores of 258, 236 and 210 before delivering a superb 279 in the fifth game. She sealed the gold with a final game of 221.
It was Gillian’s maiden gold medal at the Asian Championships in her third appearance, having previously come close on two occasions.
She won a trios silver at the 2023 edition before adding two more silvers in the trios and five-player team events in Bangkok two years ago.
Gillian’s triumph also saw Malaysia reclaim the women’s singles crown for the first time since former national legend Shalin Zulkifli struck gold in Kuwait in 2019.
Three other Malaysians finished inside the top 11, with Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee placing ninth on 1,256 pins, followed by Faten Najihah Ahmad Faik (1,250) and Nur Syazwani Sahar (1,247) in 10th and 11th respectively.
The 2012 winner, Sin Li Jane, finished 16th with 1,219 pins, while Nora Lyana Nastasia Nor Kamal was 18th on 1,201.
The men’s singles competition is up next, with the bowlers taking to the lanes across two days in two squads as Malaysia look to build on their golden start.