By Veronica Benedict
KUCHING, Sept 29: Behind the sheepish smile and quiet demeanour, Nur Hazirah Ramli, a Sarawakian sensation in the bowling area who has made a name for herself in the ten-pin bowling arena both on the national and international stage, does it in style with a steely determination and exceptional skills that speak louder than words.
Carrying the weight of expectations on her shoulders, this bowling queen blitzed her way through the Sukma XXI Sarawak 2024, contributing to Sarawak’s dominance in the national sports event with four gold medals and a single bronze medal.
These victories were an incredible feat considering the series of back-to-back international tournaments she had participated in this year.
Just a few weeks before Sukma 2024, she proudly represented Malaysia at the prestigious 2024 International Bowling Federation (IBF) World Youth Championships in Incheon, Korea, where she and her team returned triumphant as world champions.
Her consistent performance this year has also been nothing short of extraordinary as she started the year with her stint at the 2024 Youth World Cup in Lima, Peru.
Shortly after that, not one to rest on her laurels, Nur Hazirah gave her best shot at the 42nd Malaysian International Open Bowling Championships (Youth & Senior Divisions) in Petaling Jaya, emerging victorious in the Girl’s Open division.
According to the Asian Bowling Federation (ABF), Nur Hazirah now ranks as the top 51 best bowlers in the women’s division in Asia, climbing up her previous position at 75 in 2023. Her incredible performance in the Games has been a fitting culmination of her illustrious journey throughout the six years she has participated in the national games.
Reflecting on a successful career
Since joining Sukma at 15 years old, Nur Hazirah capped off her final year in Malaysia’s biggest games by beating her own personal best.
“When I first joined Sukma, I was in it for the experience, but it turns out, I won 3 medals, a bronze and two golds. One was doubles and one was team events and one bronze in my singles event.
“The next Sukma, I won 5 medals. We defended our gold position with two golds for doubles events and team, two bronzes and one silver for the singles event.
“This year, I finally got gold for the singles! And with doubles, mixed and trios,” Nur Hazirah enthused.
The Sarawak ten-pin bowling squad wrapped up their medal count at the Sukma 2024 with an impressive haul of five gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, topping the ten-pin bowling leaderboard. This strong performance saw Sarawak leading the competition, leaving Selangor in second place with one gold, three silver, and one bronze medal, while Penang settled for third with one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals.
Nur Hazirah delivered the most medals at five, earning four gold medals in the women’s individual event, women’s doubles event (alongside Lavinia Kho Jia Jie), mixed doubles event (alongside Tsen Fan Yew), and women’s trio event (alongside Lavinia and Asya Dania Azree).
She also won a bronze medal in the women’s team of five events together with Lavinia, Claudia Kumang Jackson, Asya Dania and Dayang Yumi Azreen Abang Azman.
Like many young athletes, Nur Hazirah found inspiration in her bowling career in the likes of national champions such as Sin Li Jane. With four titles under the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA), Nur Hazirah admires Sin Li Jane’s consistency and formidability.
“I want to be ahead of everyone else like her. She’s the best in Malaysia now,” she shared.
Inspiration and early beginnings
Before her meteoric rise in the bowling realm, Nur Hazirah’s journey into the bowling world started back home, when the early sparks of interest in the sport grew by watching her father who was in a bowling league.
“I started getting interested in bowling when I saw my dad bowl for a league. Ever since then, I wanted to try and see myself in this sport.”
The love for bowling soon became a shared family bond when her sibling started getting involved in the sport. They all excelled in the sport and her sister was chosen to represent Sarawak in 2018 Sukma in Perak. Her bowling journey became a family matter which later extended to her coaches and friends.
“Without them (family and coach), I won’t get this fighting spirit and they always push me and give positive encouragement. Especially my coach. Whenever I have a hard time, he’s got my back. My family always pray for my success while my friends are always concerned about my performance.”
Bowling demands both mental sharpness and physical endurance, often pushing athletes to their limits in both aspects. On overcoming these difficulties, Nur Hazirah shared that she takes her recovery process very seriously, be it after a tournament, gym, training, or any games.
She also practices mindfulness exercises before every game to keep herself focused and to calm herself from feeling anxious or nervous.
“Sometimes the environment in the bowling alley distracts us but I try to keep my mind on the game. And our coaches have taught us to cut the distractions, and we have solutions for them.
“For example, if there’s a distraction, we need to have a few seconds or a few minutes to breathe and calm ourselves, to be in the zone before we try and make the shot.”
Student of mass communications
On the road ahead, Nur Hazirah has her mind beyond the games. She aims to focus on furthering her studies in Mass Communications.
Looking back at her achievements, Nur Hazirah stands out as a shining example of what can be achieved when passion meets perseverance. As she steps off the Sukma stage, she leaves behind enormous shoes to fill, and a challenge for the next generation; to not just match her triumphs, but to surpass them with the same unyielding attitude.
With so much already achieved, it’s exciting to see what Nur Hazirah will conquer next as she continues to push the boundaries and showcase the bright fighting spirit within her. — DayakDaily
