KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Hakim Tun Hasnul Azam came agonisingly close to pulling off a dramatic victory at the Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday, only for a stubborn 10-pin to end his hopes of men’s singles gold.
The Malaysian had to settle for silver with 1,383 pins, just seven short of Kuwait’s Abdulrazzaq Mohammad, who had set the winning mark of 1,390 in Saturday’s opening squad.
Hakim, competing in the second squad, appeared well on course to overhaul the Kuwaiti’s total after accumulating 970 pins in his first four games.
He needed just 420 pins from his remaining two games to draw level, but his challenge hit a snag when he managed only 165 in the fifth.
That left him needing a massive 255 in his final game to force a tie, setting the stage for a thrilling finish.
Hakim refused to surrender and took his gold-medal chase all the way to the bonus 11th frame, where he needed a strike to keep his hopes alive.
But the 10-pin stood, leaving him to finish with 248 and settle for silver, just two pins ahead of Hong Kong’s bronze medallist Michael Mak (1,381).
“Of course, being just seven pins away from gold is a tough one to take. It was such a close finish, and looking back, there were definitely a few shots I could have executed better,” said Hakim.
“But overall, I’m proud of the way I competed and gave it my best until the very last frame.”
Hakim attributed his costly fifth game to difficulties adapting to changing lane conditions.
“I had a good run going in the first four games, but in Game 5, I struggled a little with the lane transition.
“I couldn’t quite get the reaction I wanted and lost some momentum. At this level, every shot counts, and unfortunately, that game made the difference.”
Despite the setback, Hakim showed tremendous fighting spirit to give himself one last shot at gold.
“I knew I still had a chance, so I just tried to reset mentally and focus on one shot at a time.
“I made some adjustments, trusted my game plan, and stayed committed to every shot. I’m happy I managed to finish strong and put myself back in contention for gold.”
The silver was nevertheless another significant addition to Hakim’s Asian Championships collection, taking his career haul to eight medals across four editions.
It was also his first singles medal, bringing his overall tally to two gold, three silver and three bronze medals.
Hakim previously helped Malaysia capture the team gold in Hong Kong in 2023 before winning the doubles title alongside Shaqeem Izwan Teh in Bangkok two years ago.
He was also part of the Malaysian team who narrowly missed out on gold in Bangkok, losing to Singapore by just 26 pins.
That disappointment remains fresh in his mind, with Hakim stressing that reclaiming the team title is Malaysia’s main priority in Doha.
“Singles event is a bonus,” said Hakim, who emphasised that the team gold remains the main target..
“I think it’s a bit of both. As an athlete, you always compete to win, especially when you’re representing your country.
“But at the same time, a silver medal is still something to be proud of. I’ll take the positives from this performance, learn from the mistakes, and keep moving forward.”
Hakim’s silver was Malaysia’s second medal in Doha following Gillian Lim’s women’s singles triumph on Saturday.
Defending men’s singles champion Rafiq Ismail narrowly missed the podium, finishing sixth with 1,377 pins, just four short of bronze.
Hazim Alihanafiah placed seventh (1,367), followed by Izz Naqiuddin Putera in 13th (1,331), Timmy Tan in 28th (1,284) and Syafiq Ridhwan in 43rd (1,255).
With Malaysia collecting a gold and silver from the opening singles events, Hakim believes the defending overall champions have made an encouraging start.
“I think it’s a really positive start for Team Malaysia, and hopefully we can carry this momentum into the remaining events,” he said.
“We have a strong team with plenty of experience and talent. But we also know the competition is tough, so the most important thing is to stay focused, support each other, and take it one event at a time.”