Malaysia at The 2006 Asian Games - Bowling

Bowling

Esther Cheah realised her dream by winning a gold medal at the Asian Games, just as her father and current Malaysian national coach Holloway Cheah had done in the men’s team of five event back in 1978.

The 20 year-old became the first Malaysian to win the tenpin bowling women’s singles with an Asian Games record of 1,444 for a six game series and an average of 240.7.

“I trained her very hard for it,” Holloway Cheah said after his daughter’s victory. “I leave everything with the Lord and I’m very proud for her. I knew that she could make it. It is the best Asian Games that I have attended in my life.”

Indonesia’s Putty Insavilla Armein had to settle for silver – the first ever medal for her country in women’s singles at the Asian Games – despite earlier breaking the eight-year old record with a total of 1,395.

However Armein refused to be downhearted after the competition, paying tribute to Cheah instead: “I was not disappointed, she did better today. The battle of the day is over. My best today was not good enough to get the gold.

“I didn’t know I had, but I am feeling extremely happy that I did that. What I did today is my best performance in this event.”

Angkana Netrviseth claimed the bronze medal – an early present for her 17th birthday which falls on 24 December – with a total of 1,331, three pins better than that of Japanese bowler Kanako Ishimine.

Esther Cheah also helped Malaysia win the women’s team of five crown with a Games record 6,555 total for a six-game series, but had to settle for silver in the all events competition behind Choi Jin A of Korea on Friday 8 December.

The medals took Cheah’s personal haul at Doha 2006 to two gold medals and two silver, the 20 year-old having already become the first Malaysian to win the women’s singles and then claimed silver in the women’s trios.

Cheah and teammates Sharon Koh Suet Len, Wendy Chai De Choo, Zandra Aziela and Shalin Zulkifli at the Qatar Bowling Centre to shatter the previous six-game record of 6,272 – set by Japan in Busan four years ago.

However this was not the only record the Malaysians claimed on the way to victory, posting new benchmarks for a one-game series and three-game series which had stood at 1,156 and 3,183 respectively.

Malaysia took gold by 239 pins from the Korean quintet of Choi, Hwang Sun Ok, Gang Hye Eun, Kim Yeau Jin and Nam Bo Ra – the latter two having won the gold medal in this event in 2002 – who scored 6,316.

"We are very happy after winning gold today for the team of five. We got second in the last game of trios and after that we set our target for gold only and we have done it this time we beat the team of Korea," Cheah said.

The bronze medal went to Tan Bee Leng, Cherie Tan Shi Hua, Evelyn Chan Lu Ee, Michelle Kwang Tien Mei and Valerie Teo Hui Ying of Singapore with their total of 6,239 being 165 pins better than the Chinese team.

Choi, who led the Korean team by example with the top total of her compatriots, though had cause to smile after pipping Cheah to the all events gold medal with an average of 222.5.

A bowler’s totals from the singles, doubles, trios and team of five competitions are added together to determine the all events champion, with Choi’s total of 5,339 being not only 43 pins better than that of Cheah, but also a Games record.

This gave Choi her fourth medal of the Games like Cheah, the Korean having also won silver in the doubles and bronze in the trios earlier in the week. Teo also collected her third medal with the bronze on 5,245, the Singaporean having also won the doubles with Kwang.