Young bowler Adelia pins hopes on golden finish in Doha

PETALING JAYA: A semi-final heartbreak in Munich was a rare stumble in a stellar first year on the senior stage for national bowler Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee.

Now, the 19-year-old has a chance to finish that breakthrough year on a high when she makes her Asian Championships debut in Doha today.

Adelia took bronze in the women’s team event on her World Cup debut last month after Malaysia fought back to force a deciding game against Singapore in the semi-finals.

“Munich taught me a lot. Looking back at the level of competition, winning bronze was a great achievement for us,” said Adelia.

“I’ve learned that staying composed is just as important as the technical side of bowling. My focus is to take it one game at a time and trust my preparation.”

Adelia made her senior breakthrough with a women’s singles silver at the World Championships in Hong Kong last November.

“It’s been a meaningful and memorable year for me, both professionally and personally.

“I’ve had the chance to compete at a higher level, experience different international competitions and achieve results I’m grateful for.”

The highlight came at the World Youth Championships in Kuching in July. Adelia and partner Adania Mohd Redzwan ended Malaysia’s 20-year wait for a girls’ doubles title, then added the mixed team gold to their names. They also helped Malaysia win the girls’ team bronze.

The pair struck gold again at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in August, winning the women’s doubles and trios titles for Selangor.

In Doha, Adelia joins five members of the side that won team silver in Bangkok in 2024 – Sin Li Jane, Gillian Lim, Nora Lyana Nastasia Norkamal, Faten Najihah Ahmad Faik and Nur Syazwani Sahar.

Malaysia topped both the overall and women’s medal tables in Bangkok. The women won three golds, two silvers and two bronzes, with Li Jane taking the all-events, Masters and doubles titles.

Rafiq Ismail, Timmy Tan, Izz Naqiuddin Putera Islahuddin, Syafiq Ridhwan Abdul Malek, Mohd Hazim Alihanafiah and Tun Ameerul Hakim Tun Hasnul Azam make up the men’s squad in Doha.

Adelia has spent the build-up working on her consistency and adapting to the two oil patterns she will face in Qatar.

“I’d love to win medals and contribute to the team’s success.

“Malaysia were overall champions the last time, and hopefully we can do it again. My focus is on bowling consistently. If I get that right, hopefully the results will follow,” she added.

The singles competition starts today and ends tomorrow. The doubles, trios and team events follow before the Masters finals close the championships on Nov 22.