KUALA LUMPUR: There is no stopping Rafiq Ismail as he clinched his third gold at the Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships (ATBC) in Bangkok, bringing his remarkable tally to nine overall, after topping the all-events on Monday.
It could have been a perfect day if Rafiq and his teammates had managed to secure the team gold, but they narrowly missed out to Singapore.
Rafiq, Tun Hakim Tun Hasnul Azam, Hafiz Zainuddin, Syafiq Ridhwan Abdul Malek and Izz Naqiuddin Putera Islahuddin staged a superb comeback in the second block of 15 games.
However, their combined effort of 6,423 pins fell 26 pins short of Singapore's winning total of 6,449. Hong Kong took bronze with 6,237.
Despite starting the day in fifth place and trailing leaders Singapore by 273 pins, the Malaysian team's spirited fightback was commendable.
Their performance would have surely pleased the late former Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) president Datuk Dr. P. S. Nathan, who passed away at 90 on Sunday.
Hafiz, who finished second behind Rafiq in the all-events, dedicated his two hard-fought silver medals to Dr Nathan.
"It was shocking news for all of us in Bangkok when we learned that Dr Nathan had left us," said Hafiz. "We went into the second block determined to come from behind and win the gold, despite the big deficit. In the end, we fell short by just 26 pins.
"There are still a couple of days left, and we want to make Dr Nathan proud. Hopefully, he will bless us in the final battle, the masters, and we can claim the overall title.
"I'll fight for my second gold after winning one gold (men's trios) and three silvers so far (singles, team, and all events)."
Rafiq paid tribute to Dr. Nathan, calling him a hands-on president who stayed close to the team.
"Dr Nathan was a visionary leader who ensured we had depth and capable replacements in the squad. "The national team's strength today is largely thanks to him," said Rafiq.
"Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he would always visit us during training to make sure we were taken care of.
"It was also his wise decision to form the MTBC special squad with Sir Holloway (Cheah, former national head coach) that helped discover players like myself and Timmy Tan."
Rafiq now has his sights set on a record-equalling fourth gold, aiming to successfully defend his men's masters title."
The masters is where the best of the best compete in the final battle. I'll be aiming for my third win, having previously won in 2016 and last year in Hong Kong," said Rafiq.
Rafiq has never failed to win at least one gold at the ATBC since his first victory in 2016.
He secured his second gold in Kuwait in 2019 and took home four gold medals last year in Hong Kong.
Malaysia is well represented in the 16-man Masters event, with Hakim, Syafiq, and Izz qualifying fifth, sixth, and 12th, respectively.
Malaysia lead the medal tally with five golds, four silvers, and two bronzes (5-4-2), ahead of Singapore (3-0-0) and South Korea (0-3-4).