DOUBLES JOY WITH SECOND GOLD

Tun Hakim and Adrian roll over US pair in Hong Kong

IT turned out to be a dream debut for Tun Hakim Tun Hasnul Azam as he, together with Adrian Ang, won Malaysia’s second gold medal at the Men’s World Championships in Hong Kong yesterday.

Inspired by Rafiq Ismail’s gold medal feat in the singles on Saturday, AdrianTun Hakim defeated Canada’s Dan Maclelland-Francois Lovoie 458-412 in the men’s doubles semi-finals to earn a crack at the title.

In the final, the Malaysians played well on the lanes to notch a 433-370 win over EJ Tackett-Andrew Anderson of the United States to seal Malaysia their only third gold in the history of the men’s competition.

“It feels like I am in a dream as I never thought I would become a world champion so soon in my career,” said the 19year-old Tun Hakim.

“I must thank Adrian for guiding me throughout the day.

“Although nervous, I stayed calm and I took my time to reel in good shots.

“And also special thanks to my coaches (Holloway Cheah and Ben Heng) for selecting me for the world meet.”

Adrian said: “It is a great feeling as I did not produce any good results this year.

“I have never failed to make the podium since I joined the national team in 2004, and today I managed to keep that record intact.

“We did a good job as a pair. We were patient and we discussed a lot during the semi-finals and final,” said the Penangborn.

Adrian also dedicated his achievement to his coaches (Holloway and Ben), teammates and the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress for their support.

“Holloway and Ben were guiding us all the way in the final. They gave us pointers on how to approach the oiling pattern on the lanes,” he added.