GLASGOW: National lawn bowler Syafiqa Haidar Afif Abdul Rahman says the women’s pairs silver medal she won at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games while five months pregnant with her first child is the most meaningful achievement of her career.
Syafiqa, who combined with Aleena Ahmad Nawawi to bag the silver medal, said their journey to the final was no bed of roses, but the support of her family and the presence of her unborn child gave her the strength to persevere throughout the campaign in Glasgow.
"This (silver medal) means so much because this time I had the strongest support. The journey to winning silver wasn’t easy, so, I am grateful.
"This blessing belongs to my baby, too,” she said after the women’s pairs gold medal match at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) here today.
Syafiqa said the coaching staff knew about her pregnancy from the very beginning and had closely monitored her condition throughout preparations and the competition.
The 32-year-old said she discovered she was pregnant during the selection process for the Commonwealth Games, but it never deterred her from pursuing her dream alongside Aleena.
"My coach knew from the start. I was lucky because I didn’t experience any morning sickness. Even though I’m pregnant, I was still able to play as I normally would,” she said.
She also dedicated the silver medal to her husband, Nizam Yusof, who gave his blessing for her to continue competing, as well as to her family, coaches and teammates.
Previously, national shooter Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi captured global attention when she competed in the 10m air rifle event at the 2012 London Olympics while eight months pregnant.
As for Aleena, the silver medal is still a special achievement on her Commonwealth Games debut, although they had their sights set on gold.
"Perhaps, we will wait four more years… who knows, we might strike gold then,” said the 27-year-old.
In the final, Aleena-Syafiqa lost 0.5-1.5 to England's Amy Pharaoh and Sian Honnor,
Despite the defeat, it still turned out to be Malaysia’s second-ever medal in the women’s pairs event at the Commonwealth Games, following the gold won by Emma Firyana Saroji and Siti Zalina Ahmad at the 2018 Gold Coast edition.
The silver is also the national lawn bowls team's first medal at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. - Bernama
TAGS: sports, 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, lawn bowls, Syafiqa Haidar Afif Abdul Rahman, women’s pairs
