By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 6: Sarawakian national bowler Gillian Lim won her first career title at the 42nd Malaysian International Open Championships 2024 held at Sunway Mega Lanes, Petaling Jaya, yesterday (May 5).
The 25-year-old Miri-born athlete beat the defending champion, Lavinia Kho Jia Jie, who is also a Sarawakian.
According to a report by TVS, Lim knocked down 235 pins against Kho who scored 196 pins in the second game.
The Vietnam Sea Games silver medallist took home a cash prize of RM30,000 while Kho secured RM20,000 as runner-up.
Lim also showed exceptional skill earlier when she defeated 2023 world champion Natasha Roslan, securing a spot in the Women’s Open Masters final.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Lim said she was quite nervous going up against Natasha and Kho but she remained calm throughout the games.
“Natasha is the world champion and Lavinia is the defending champion. So I kept telling myself to stay focused and control my breathing with every throw,” she said.
She also hoped that the victory would open an opportunity for her to be selected to represent the national team at the Asia Bowling Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, this year.
In the men’s category, Muhammad Hafiz Zainuddin clinched his first title after beating Syafiq Ridhwan Abdul Malik, by knocking down 234 pins in the final.
The 24-year-old brought home a cash prize of RM50,000 while Syafiq finished with RM25,000 as runner-up.
The 42nd Malaysian International Open Championships 2024 which took place from April 23, saw the participation of 300 bowling athletes from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Australia and Sweden. — DayakDaily
