KUALA LUMPUR – National lawn bowler Nor Farah Ain Abdullah kept the Malaysian flag flying high by emerging as a world champion in the World Bowls Indoor Championship, which took place in Guernsey.
The versatile bowler, making her first ever appearance in the tournament, easily defeated her opponent from Malta, Connie Rixon 6-2 and 6-3 in straight sets in the final.
Prior to the world championship, Farah recently won a silver medal in the Asian Lawn Bowls Championship in March.
Malaysia also secured a silver through Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple (men’s singles) and a bronze courtesy of Izzat and Farah (mixed pair).
Speaking to Scoop from Guernsey, national head coach Zuraidi Puteh said he was proud of producing another world champion for Malaysia through the sport.
He also said he was delighted with the overall performance of the national team in the prestigious tournament.
“This is one of the proudest moments for me as a coach, and I’m happy that Farah has created a historical moment for the country through her performance.
“It was not an easy task for her to go against an opponent who has a track record of excelling in the world championship over the years.
“Farah worked hard for this victory, and I’m happy that she made sure she followed all my tactics throughout her game.
“Overall, it was a great moment for the entire nation as we managed to win all three medals with just two participants in this tournament. I’m more pumped right now and I hope to produce more world champions for the country in the years to come,” said Zuraidi when contacted.
Participants from over 30 countries battled for glory in this year’s championship, which took place from April 21 to 27.
After more than a year of absence from any podium programme, national lawn bowlers were recently granted inclusion by the National Sports Council in a temporary initiative.
The exclusion of lawn bowlers by the council was attributed to their failure to meet targets at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
According to the World Bowls rankings, Malaysia’s men’s team are ranked fourth out of 65 countries, while the women’s team rank fifth.
Under Zuraidi’s tutelage, Nur Ain Nabilah Tarmizi and Aleena Ahmad Nawawi made history by securing the country’s first women’s gold at the World Outdoor Championship last year since the inception of the women’s pairs event in 1969. – April 28, 2024