KUALA LUMPUR: Bowler Natasha Roslan won her first individual gold at the World Championships as she and Sin Li Jane made it a glorious 1-2 finish for Malaysia in the women's singles event in Salmiya, Kuwait today.
Natasha defeated Li Jane 259-194, 162-238, 185-165 in the final at the Kuwait Bowling Centre.
This made her the first Malaysian winner in the event since Jacqueline Sijore last accomplished the feat in the Hong Kong edition in 2011.
Esther Cheah was the pioneer, securing gold way back in 2005 in Aalborg, Denmark.
This was the second gold for Natasha at the world meet, having been part of the team that clinched the team gold in Las Vegas in 2017.
Both Natasha and Li Jane ensured an all-Malaysian title clash after coming from behind to best their respective Korean opponents in the semi-finals. Natasha edged Son Hye Rin 143-189, 227-173, 214-177 while Li Jane defeated Hong Hae Ni 202-203, 226-192, 269-220.
The duo had earlier qualified for the top four medal playoffs by excelling in their respective round-robin matchplay. Natasha won all her five matches to top Group 2 with 15 points. Also in Group 2 were compatriots Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman and Nora Lyana Nastasia Norkamal. They finished fourth and last in the six-woman standings respectively.
Li Jane faced a stiffer challenge in Group 3, finishing tied at the top with Colombian star Clara Guerrero. She eventually secured the top spot by winning 37-28 in the ninth and 10th frame roll-off.
Another second-round qualifier, Gillian Lim, finished last in Group 1 without a single victory.
In the men's division, Malaysia's only two contenders, Rafiq Ismail and Timmy Tan, found themselves in Group 2 but were unfortunately eliminated after a nail-biting contest. Together with Germany's Tobias Boerding and Canada's Austyn Duchharme, all four ended with nine points each. However, Boerding emerged victorious in the four-way playoff, scoring 59 against Rafiq's 49, Duchharme's 39, and Timmy's 28.