Xavier Teo wins boys' Masters gold as Singapore's youth bowlers shine in Kuching
SINGAPORE — Singapore’s national youth bowlers completed a stellar outing at the Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships in Kuching with another gold on Thursday (25 April), with Xavier Teo winning the boys’ Masters event.
The 18-year-old entered the step-ladder finals as the top qualifier, and faced Malaysia’s Muhammad Hafiz, who had defeated South Korea’s Moon Ha-yeong 224-165 in the first step-ladder game.
The Malaysian narrowly took the first of the two-game finale 225-224, but Xavier held his nerve to take the second game 208-202, and clinch the gold on his two-game pinfall total.
Xavier said after his win, “The lessons I learnt from previous championships helped me handle the pressure properly. During the games, I just told myself to be in the present, thinking only about the process.”
Bronze medal for Charlene Lim in girls’ Masters
Singapore also clinched a bronze medal in the girls’ Masters event through Charlene Lim.
The 20-year-old had qualified for the step-ladder finals as the second-best qualifier, but lost in the first step-ladder game 191-200 to Malaysia’s Gillian Lim.
The Malaysian went on to win the gold medal after defeating South Korea’s Shin Hye-bin in the finale with a two-game pinfall total of 384-348 (200-184, 184-164).
“I haven't been bowling well all week. All I wanted was to contribute another medal to the team and have another shot to redeem myself,” Charlene said. “Focusing on the process and the trust between coach and me was what helped me throughout the event.”
Six golds and three bronzes for Team Singapore
With the two medals won on Thursday, Singapore amassed a total of six golds and three bronzes, their best-ever showing at the championships.
A delighted Singapore Bowling Federation president Jessie Phua said, “It was a sterling performance by the entire team – bowlers, coaches and support staff. An entire village worked hard for these emerging bowlers, and we are thankful they kept their composure, dug deep and delivered.
“We are very happy that our young guns are on track, and hope they will stay the course as they have every opportunity to be our future world champions.”
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