KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu bowler Nurul Iman Batrisya Mohd Fadhli clinched her first major title at the Milo Storm U22 International Junior All-Stars, defeating Singapore's Shannon Lee 198-174 in the girls' Under-15 final at Sunway Mega Lanes today.
The 14-year-old's triumph marks a significant breakthrough in her young career, achieved through dedication that includes fortnightly training trips to Selangor. Previously, Nurul's best national-level finish was fourth in a National Junior Circuit leg.
"This is my greatest achievement yet," said Nurul, who finished third in the Under-13 category at last year's Sarawak International Open.
"In my previous attempts at the Junior All-Stars, I didn't even make the finals," she said.
Nurul dominated the preliminary round, leading a field of 22 finalists with a total of 1,710 pins, ahead of Shannon (1,599) and another Singaporean, Maryse Toh (1,578). Shannon advanced to the final after defeating Maryse 181-149.
Nurul has been flying to Selangor every two weeks for intensive training sessions since she was 12 under coach Hussin Omar, who mentored PWBA Tour Player of the Year, Sin Li Jane, during her formative years.
"Li Jane is my idol," said Nurul, whose parents are both engineers.
In the boys' Under-15 category, South Koreans dominated with Han Sung Ho defeating compatriot Kim Min Kyul 255-223 in the final. Singapore's Caedmon Lim took third place after losing to Min Kyul 245-227.