KUALA LUMPUR: After missing out on the girls' Open title on Thursday, national youth bowler Nur Hazirah Ramli swiftly made amends by emerging triumphant in the women's GenZ category of the International Junior All-Stars.
The 20-year-old Hazirah dominated the 10-game contest at the Sunway Mega Lanes with a total score of 2,163, finishing 22 pins ahead of South Korea's Kim Bo Ah (2,141), while Gillian Lim, a member of the national elite squad, settled for third place with 2,123 pinfalls.
The victory was particularly sweet for Hazirah after her third-place finish in the girls' Open competition.
The GenZ category, introduced in 2021 as a side event catering to participants under 25, is not considered by Hazirah as a mere consolation.
"I take pride in all tournaments and events I'm competing in, whether it's a side or main event, so I always do my utmost best to excel," said Hazirah, who earned RM5,000 for her effort, bringing her total to RM10,000, including the RM5,000 she earned through the girls' Open event.
"Since I started playing competitively, this has always been the mindset I bring into the battleground. Even yesterday, after being eliminated in the semi-final, I wasn't disheartened. It didn't affect me at all for today's event."
The win underlined Hazirah's status as the most consistent national youth bowler, whether male or female, this year. She also secured victories in other international events, including the Malaysia Open, Thailand Open, and Kuala Lumpur Open, and finished as the runner-up at the Philippines Open and National Championship.
In the men's GenZ, Park Dae Hee was a runaway winner, amassing 2,387 pinfalls to claim victory with a substantial 142-pin margin over second-placed Shaqeem Izwan Teh (2,245), a member of the national youth team. Another local competitor, Hazim Alihanafiah, secured third place with a total of 2,199.
Dae Hee received RM8,000 in prize money, while Izwan and Hazim settled for RM4,000 and RM3,000, respectively.