Mother’s advice keeps bowling world champion Rafiq grounded
SEPANG: Reigning world bowling champion Rafiq Ismail has stayed grounded, thanks to the wise saying from his mother.
Before going to any bowling tournament, Rafiq’s mother Zaiton Abdul Ghani always tells her son a Malay proverb, – ‘Jadi macam padi, makin berisi, makin menunduk’ (with greater success, one should have greater humility).
She wants Rafiq to remain humble in order to attain more success.
“Humility is very important in life and as a mother, I want him to do better and move forward. To do so, he has to remember the people around him and stay humble,” she said.
Zaiton and her husband Ismail Nik Mat were at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Thursday to welcome Rafiq and the bowling team from Hong Kong after a superb job at the Men’s World Championships in Hong Kong.
Rafiq won the men’s singles gold by defeating 2014 champion Dan MacLelland of Canada while Adrian Ang and Tun Hakim Tun Hasnul Azam bagged the doubles title.
Calling the success phenomenal, Ismail said it has been a good year for his son.
“He told us that he did not expect to be the champion because lefties in the world meet were struggling with the lanes at the South China Athletics Association Bowling Centre,” said Ismail, who is a businessman.
“Even when he woke up the next day (after winning), he called us immediately and said he still couldn’t believe that he had beaten Dan (MacLelland).
Ismail and Zaiton did not accompany Rafiq as they did not want to put undue pressure on him.
“We did not want Rafiq to be worried about us. If we are there, he will always think and fuss about us and we did not want that,” said Zaiton.
For Rafiq, the victory was a humbling experience indeed.
He received overwhelming congratulatory messages from many people including his idol - veteran Shalin Zulkifli.
“I told her that I want to be just like her,” said the southpaw bowler.
He thanked his parents for their undivided support.
“They are always there during my success and defeats too. They always tell me to pray and have faith in my own abilities. Ego destroys a person. There is no need to show off,” he added.