Siti Safiyah eyeing a podium finish in Kuwait
KUALA LUMPUR: National kegler Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman hopes for a podium finish at the IBF (International Bowling Federation) World Combined Championships in Kuwait this October.
Without giving a specific medal target, Siti Safiyah said winning the Best Women’s Team award with her teammates in the 2021 National Sports Awards (ASN) ceremony on Tuesday increased her motivation to make the country proud in the championship, which is considered the biggest one for her this year.
She shared the award with three other national bowlers – Natasha Mohamed Roslan, Faten Najihah Ahmad Faik and Nur Syazwani Sahar – at the ceremony held at the National Sports Council (NSC) in Bukit Jalil.
In addition to Kuwait, the 32-year-old Siti Safiyah said she would be competing at the Malaysian International Open Bowling Championship from May 1 to 7, followed by the 2023 Singapore International Open (June 3-10) and Thailand International Open (July 26 -29).
She also described the success of winning silver in the World Championships in Dubai in 2021 as the greatest achievement for the women’s team as it was the first competition they entered after nearly two years of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are very grateful for this award. Thank you to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and NSC for organising this event and nominating us for ASN 2021,” she said after the award ceremony.
Meanwhile, Natasha admitted that she was somewhat affected by the retirement of big names such as Shalin Zulkifli, but was optimistic that new faces in the national squad can reach the same level of play as the former national bowling ace.
“Hopefully, through training and tournaments, we will be able to form a strong bond and win as many championships as our seniors,” she said.