KUALA LUMPUR: Former national bowler Sharon Koh has set her sights firmly on defending her women's Open crown at the National Championship despite entering the fray as an underdog once again.
The 37-year-old is not short of motivation knowing that a sixth title would make her the most successful player ever, regardless of gender, since the inception of the national meet in 1977.
With five titles already under her belt, including victories in 2005, 2008, 2015, and 2018, Sharon is currently tied with Datuk Shalin Zulkifli (1992, 2001-2004) for the most titles.
Thanks to her victory last year, the 37-year-old is already guaranteed a spot in the 16-woman finals at the Sunway Mega Lanes on Thursday.
The other automatic qualifier is Fatin Najihah Ahmad Faik, the all-events gold medallist of last week's Interstate Championships.
The race to make the top-14 cut in the women's Open category is hotly contested at the moment with Nur Syazwani Sahar topping the masters qualifying (MQ) standings with her best six-game effort of 1,309.
Sharon, who's working as a project coordinator at a local furniture company, believes she will be no pushover, even though she no longer trains full-time or competes internationally.
"I still love bowling very much and have no intention to stop any time soon. I'm still very much a very competitive bowler as I do bowl regularly in the leagues and train with my friends," said Sharon.
"Well, it's good to be keeping a low profile for the National Championships. All eyes will obviously be on the national bowlers to shine, and I'll be the underdog just like last year.
"Despite the lack of preparations, I'm still really excited and determined at the same time. I have come a long way to emulate Shalin's record and now that I have a chance to surpass it, I want to give it a go at it."
In her prime, Sharon was once part of the all-conquering women's squad in the mid-2000s that won gold at the 2006 Doha Asian Games and the 2007 World Championships.
It remains to be seen if Shalin will join in the fray as she has not made a MQ attempt yet.
She featured for Selangor in the Interstate meet, rolling back the years to claim the singles bronze and team gold.
Sin Li Jane, the runner-up last year, will certainly be one of the top contenders as she seeks to win her fourth title.
The other national team members including reigning world singles champion Natasha Roslan and Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman, both two-time winners, Nora Lyana Nastasia Norkamal, Nerosha Keligit and Gillian Lim will likely make the cut.