Adelia leads women to silver at worlds, ends debut campaign on high

From left: Bowlers Sin Li Jane, Natasha Roslan, Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman, Nora Lyana Nastasia Norkamal, Gillian Lim and Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee took silver for Malaysia in women's team event on the last day of IBF World Championships in Hong Kong.

PETALING JAYA: Teenage bowler Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee wrapped up a dream debut at the World Championships in Hong Kong by finishing with two silver medals and one bronze.

The 18-year-old, who had already bagged the women’s singles silver earlier in the week, added to her haul on the final day by helping Malaysia secure the team silver and the All-Events bronze.

In the team event, Malaysia had to settle for silver after a 1-2 defeat to the United States in the final.

Sin Li Jane, Gillian Lim, Natasha Roslan, Nora Lyana Nastasia Norkamal, Adelia and Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman took the first game 191-179 at Queen Elizabeth Stadium, raising hopes of a major upset.

However, the American lineup of Julia Bond, Bryanna Cote, Shannon Pluhowsky, Lauren Russo and Jillian Martin roared back to clinch the next two games 200-159 and 199-185, sealing the gold.

Earlier, Malaysia had swept aside Japan 2-0 in the semi-finals (204-117 and 198-145) while the Americans came through a 2-1 comeback over South Korea (234-257, 221-151 and 212-160).

The team silver also confirmed Malaysia’s bronze in the women’s all-events with 273.29 points.

US claimed gold with 302.21 points while Singapore secured silver with 285.13 points.

Adelia said she did not expect to return home with multiple medals.

“It feels incredible. Coming into my first World Championships, I did not put pressure on myself in terms of medals.

“I just wanted to perform to my potential and gain experience on the world stage, so to come away with two silvers and a bronze are really beyond what I expected.

“It is motivating and humbling but at the same time it gives me confidence that I am on the right path,” said the delighted Adelia.

She would cherish the opportunity to bowl with the bests.

“I always watch these bowlers and admire them, so sharing the lanes with them was an amazing experience.

“Their standard pushes you to elevate your own game. I learned a lot from observing how they approached different lane conditions, how they stayed composed and how they adjusted under pressure,” she added.

Malaysia ended their campaign with a total of two silver and two bronze medals.

Rafiq Ismail and Syazirol Shamsudin had earlier contributed a bronze in the men’s doubles.