KUALA LUMPUR: Bowler Natasha Roslan never expected to strike big at the National Sports Awards.
She won the 2023 Sportswoman of the Year award today.
Natasha said she did not expect to be crowned Malaysia's best women's athlete as the competition was stiff.
Natasha triumphed against Asian Games double gold squash medallist S. Sivasangari, muay thai world champion Nur Amisha Azrilrizal, Asian lawn bowls champion Nurul Alyani Jamil and Asian Games gold-winning sailor Nur Syazrin Mohd Latif.
The selection panel felt that Natasha's feat in ending a 12-year gold drought for Malaysia in the women's singles at the World Championships in Kuwait last October, deserves the top gong.
Natasha became the sixth women's bowler to pick up the highest sports recognition in the country after Shirley Chow (1979), Lydia Kwah (1990), Lisa Kwan (1991, 1993), Sharon Low (1995) and Shalin Zulkifli (1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002)
"Never thought I would be the winner in the first place as there were some top names in the list like Sivasangari and the Olympic sailor Syazrin," said 28-year-old Natasha.
"It's the biggest national recognition for an athlete and also for bowling,'' she added.
World record holder and world champion powerlifter Bonnie Bunyau Gustin bagged his second National Paralympic Sportsman award in three years after overcoming a stiff challenge from Ziyad Zolkefli, Abdul Latif Romly and Ammar Aiman Nor Azmi (para athletics) and Nur Syaiful Zulkafli (para swimming).
Para track cyclist Nur Suraiya Zamri bagged the National Paralympic Sportswoman award.
The National Sportsman and Sportswoman, as well as the National Paralympic Sportsman and Sportswoman award winners, each walked away with RM20,000, a trophy and certificate given out by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.