Arianne Tay wins girls' singles gold at World Junior Bowling Championships
Singapore youth bowler Arianne Tay clinched a gold medal in the girls’ singles competition at the week-long World Junior Bowling Championships in Paris on Tuesday (19 March).
The 14-year-old Methodist Girls’ School student defeated Finland’s Peppi Konsteri by 230 to 190 pinfalls in the final at the Plaza Bowling Saint Maximin to clinch her first major international title.
She told Yahoo News Singapore in a WhatsApp interview on Wednesday, “I’m feeling really excited right now, and this is a great start to the week. I just can’t believe it. It’s my first time winning something major like this. I think it’s the biggest win of my life.”
Arianne was the top seed after the qualifying round, scoring 1,407 pinfalls in six games to be the best qualifier over 47 participants. In the semi-finals, she defeated the Philippines’ Grace Gella by 214 to 188 pinfalls to earn her spot in the final.
She recalled, “During the semi-finals and final, I was very nervous because both my competitors were such great players, but I tried my best to focus on the process. It was my first-ever experience competing in the semi-finals and final format, and it was very exciting and fun despite me being nervous.”
Arianne will next team up with Quek Lu Yi, 16, for the doubles event on Wednesday. The two bowlers will then team up with boys’ bowlers Xavier Teo, 17, and Eugene Yeo, 14, for the team-of-four competition. The top 24 bowlers in the boys’ and girls’ all-events standings will qualify for the masters competitions.
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