PETALING JAYA: The national women's petanque team showed they are on track to sizzle at the Thailand SEA Games in December after a historic run at the Nations Cup in Italy.
Malaysia, comprising Nur Thahira Tasnim Abdul Aziz, Jasnina Jasmine Johan Johnson, Sharifah Aqilah Farhana Syed Ali and Nur Durratul Sahira Yazit, defeated Italy 13-6 in the women's team final on Monday to win the prestigious tournament for the first time.
Malaysia earlier beat Austria 13-3 to qualify for the final for the first time while Italy brushed aside Holland 13-4 in the other semi-final match.
Austria and Holland shared the bronze as there is no playoff for third place.
Malaysia had a bye in the first round by virtue of winning the qualifying pool and beat Japan 13-5 to reach the last eight.
The national team went on to beat Norway 13-3 to advance to the semi-finals.
Malaysian Boules Federation (MSBF) president Datuk Cheah Ban Cheng described the success as proof of the national bowlers ability to compete on the world stage.
"We sent a relatively young squad and the performance is also a good morale boost to the next major outing at the Thailand SEA Games in two months time.
"These players have also been listed for the SEA Games and will resume intensive training after this to ensure they can be at their best as they are up against powerhouse teams from Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia," he said.
Eleven gold medals are up for grabs in the sport at the SEA Games. Petanque was excluded from the programme after an initial ban due to allegations of corruption in Thailand's national governing body.
However, the ban was lifted by the World Petanque and Bowls Federation (WPBF) after the Thai Olympic Committee addressed the issues and demonstrated a commitment to compliance.
In Cambodia, Malaysia bagged one gold, one silver and three bronze medals from petanque.
