KUALA LUMPUR: Tsen Fan Yew cemented his status as the country's top male youth bowler by clinching the boys' Open title at the National Championships on Monday.
The 21-year-old Sarawakian, who won the masters at the Malaysian Games (Sukma) in August, topped the 21-player leaderboard at Sunway Mega Lanes with an impressive 1,752 total over eight games.
National youth teammate Izz Naqiuddin Putera Islahuddin secured the runner-up position for the second consecutive year with 1,708 pinfalls, while Shaqeem Izwan Teh claimed bronze on 1,704.
The strong podium performances by Izz and Shaqeem validated the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress' (MTBC) decision to select them over several senior players for the highly successful Asian Championships campaign in Bangkok last month.
Defending champion Megat Zaqrul Haiqal had to settle for fourth with 1,687 pinfalls.
In the girls' Open contest, Qurratu'ain Izdihar Pozi emerged victorious with a 1,730 total, edging out national teammate Nur Hazirah Ramli by 45 pins.
For Hazirah, this marked her second straight runner-up finish, dashing her hopes of securing a national youth title as she will not be eligible next year.
Nur Anis Anisya Zaflli rounded out the podium, finishing third with 1,618 pinfalls.