Singapore’s young bowlers stage comeback to win gold at Asian meet
They strike back to win the golds, while Amabel and Brandon claim all-events titles
Trailing by 243 pinfalls after the first day of the team event, Singapore's girls' bowling team came from behind to retain their title at the 20th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships in Kuching, Malaysia, after a "nerve-racking" second block yesterday.
The team - comprising Charmaine Chang, Amabel Chua, Jermaine Seah and Charlene Lim - notched 4,664 pinfalls to win the gold medal ahead of South Korea (4,628) and Malaysia (4,617).
Said 18-year-old Amabel: "During the second block, we all knew that there was still hope for us to clinch the gold.
"If one of us opens a frame, we will try our best to cover each other. We made sure we threw one shot at a time and focused only on the present.
"I thought that our fighting spirit and perseverance made us what we are today."
The boys' team of Brandon Ong, Eugene Yeo, Xavier Teo and Jomond Chia also came from behind to clinch the gold with 5,123 pinfalls, after finishing third in the first block on Monday.
The Philippines ended second with 4,996, followed by South Korea on 4,979.
Amabel and Brandon also won the girls' and boys' all-events titles respectively after their aggregate scores in the April 17-25 event.
Amabel chalked up 3,652, ahead of Malaysia's Gillian Lim (3,609), while Jermaine took the bronze with 3,594.
Brandon had 4,103, followed by Malaysian Muhammad Hafiz (3,933) and Filipino Merwin Tan (3,860).
National head coach Helmi Chew hailed their performance as "a great lesson in never giving up".
He said: "It was a wonderful result from both the boys and girls. Fighting from behind today showed lots of grit and character from both teams."
Earlier in the competition, Brandon and Jomond clinched the boys' doubles title with 2,740 while Amabel and Charmaine finished third in the girls' doubles with 2,354.
The girls' team, along with Brandon, Jomond and Xavier, also qualified for the Masters finals, which will take place today and tomorrow.
While winning the all-events title is a confidence-booster for Amabel, she said: "I still have to be focused on doing things that can be controlled, which is my process, and get it right. The results will come after."
Singapore are leading the overall medal tally with five golds and two bronzes.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
