Lawn bowler Hizlee hopes to be like Chong Wei and Nicol
PETALING JAYA: There may be another Malaysian world No. 1 in sports.
Malaysia has two world No. 1s in Lee Chong Wei (badminton) and Nicol David (squash) and national lawn bowls champion Mohd Hizlee Abdul Rais (pic) has set his sights on joining them at the top of the world.
Hizlee is not too far away from his dream. Heis the world No. 2 behind Australia’s Leif Selby.
“I have got a good chance to be the world No. 1 but I need to stay focus and put more effort in my training,” said the 24-year-old Hizlee.
Hizlee has a chance to prove his mettle when he competes in the World Bowls Cup in Warila, Australia, in April.
A cop by professional, Hizlee was at the peak of his powers at the Champion of Champions singles competition in Cyprus in October last year. He defeated Stanley Lai of Hong Kong 13-6, 7-5 to emerge as champion. It was no mean feat as he had to beat 25 other national champions to the crown.
Hizlee has come a long way since he started playing the game as a 13-yearold boy in Rembau, Negri Sembilan. At 15, he was already a national player. A few years later, he dislodgled former world No. 1 Safuan Said as the top Malaysian singles player.
Malaysia Lawn Bowls Federation (MLBF) president Tun Ahmad Sarji said it would be great for Malaysia to have Hizlee being ranked the No. 1 player in the world.
“Hizlee is the first Malaysian men bowler to win the Champion of Champions tournament. I am glad for Hizlee and hope he goes on to be the world No. 1,” said Sarji after presenting cash incentives to the Malaysian women’s four team who won silver at the World Bowls in Adelaide last November.
The team of Azlina Arshad, Zuraini Khalid, Noor Zafirah Nur and Auni Fathiah Kamis each received RM2,000.