Bowler ‘just played the game’
A New Plymouth teenager who won the Cook Islands’ first ever Commonwealth Games medal was speechless after his success.
Aidan Zittersteijn, 18, and teammate Taiki Paniani won bronze in the men’s pairs bowling on Monday with a 17-11 victory over Malta.
‘‘When we knew we won the medal it just felt amazing,’’ the former Spotswood College student said. ‘‘I was just speechless.
‘‘It’s still sinking in at the moment. ‘‘The first end we picked up a five, so that really made us relax more and we just played really well from the start.’’
The pair lost their semi-final against the Welsh pairing of Daniel Salmon and Marc Wyatt on Sunday, 14-21 after 17 ends. Wales went on to take the gold medal after their 12-10 win against Scotland on Monday.
Zittersteijn said he expected to qualify but never thought they’d be on the podium.
‘‘I just thought anything’s possible so I just went out there and played the game.’’
While he hadn’t seen many of his Cook Island teammates after the match, they were enthusiastic supporters during the game.
‘‘We’ve got 28 people over here; I think about 20 of them were here. It was really noisy.’’
Zittersteijn, who qualifies for the Cook Islands through his maternal grandfather, is the seventh Taranaki bowler to attend the Games, and said he had had a lot of home support.
‘‘I was getting a lot of support and then my phone died.’’
He has loved the atmosphere of the Gold Coast Games, and has his sights set on the Cook Islands team for Birmingham 2022.
‘‘It’s just been an amazing experience for me and the team because our team are all young.
‘‘Just the vibe of every country there is just amazing.’’
The teenager has been playing outdoor bowls for about five years, and said it was popular in his family.
‘‘Most of my family all play. I’ve played indoor bowls for 10 years.
‘‘My nana was playing outdoor bowls and I thought I’d try it and see if I liked it, and I really enjoyed it.’’
Stratford baker Eddie Leach competed in the inaugural British Empire Games in 1930, with Dave Baldwin taking part with success in 1974 (gold) and 1978 (silver).
Pearl Dymond won a silver medal in 1982 and other Taranaki bowlers to feature have been John Murtagh and Maurice Symes (both in 1986) and Brian Baldwin (1998).