KUALA LUMPUR: Asian No 1 bowler Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman wants 2018 to be as good as last year, if not better, as she kicks off her season at the ongoing Track AIK International Championship in Stockholm, Sweden.
The 28-year-old together with 10 other bowlers left for Sweden on Tuesday to compete in the tournament, which is a silver status European Bowling Tour event.
For Siti Safiyah, she hopes to start the season strongly as her main goal is to peak and shine at the Indonesia Asian Games in August.
"Last year was so good. I couldn't have asked for anything more," said the Selangor-born, who was runners-up in last year’s AMF World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico in November.
"I always aim for the podium in tournaments, so I am not under any pressure to start the year as Asia’s No 1 bowler.
“At this moment, I feel great and hopefully, this season will be another solid year for me.
“Our goal is the Asian Games. Malaysia did not win a gold medal in the 2014 Incheon edition, so we are aiming to do so in Indonesia.”
Last month, Siti Safiyah, who won the Wichita Open in June last year, was instrumental in Malaysia’s gold medal success in the team event after 10 years at the World Championships in Las Vegas.
Other bowlers competing in Sweden are Rafiq Ismail, Alex Liew, Ahmad Muaz Fishol, Timmy Tan, Adrian Ang, Syafiq Ridhwan, Sin Li Jane, Shalin Zulkifli, Esther Cheah and Syaidatul Afifah Badrul Hamidi.
All 11 Malaysians will bowl in the qualifying round on Wednesday at the Bowl-O-Rama in Årsta.
Only the top 38 bowlers from the qualifying round will make the cut for the next stage, with the top eight qualifying straight into Step Two.
The final round will be on Sunday.