Bowling: Bernice Lim clinches title in first competition since back injury
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National bowlers Jazreel Tan (left) and Bernice Lim at Dream Bowl in Unterfohring, Germany.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE BOWLING FEDERATION
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SINGAPORE - Out of action for a month owing to a back injury, Bernice Lim could only watch wistfully from Singapore as her teammates battled for glory on the Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour in the United States in June.
And the bowler relished her returned to the bowling lanes on Wednesday (June 29), winning the European Bowling Tour (EBT) Masters 2022 for her first individual title at an international competition since 2019.
"It was tough not being able to compete, but I focused on recovering and getting better so that I could compete here in Germany," said Lim, who was part of the women's team who won gold at last month's SEA Games in Hanoi.
"This is my first tournament back since the injury and I'm glad it worked out well."
At Dream Bowl's lanes in Unterfohring, Germany, Lim finished first with 2,539 pinfalls, a running total that took into account the pinfalls from the qualifying round and the four-game final.
Sweden's Cajsa Wegner was second with 2,409 pinfalls, while compatriot Jazreel Tan (2,402) finished third.
The title in Germany was significant for the 30-year-old as it showed that the work she put in was paying off and "reaffirms that I'm heading in the right direction".
Not too long after winning her last women's singles win at the Singapore Open Women's Open division in 2019, the pandemic struck but Lim took the chance to work on various aspects of her game.
She said: "A lot has changed since then (the last title), and when Covid struck, I used that as an opportunity to change and enhance my bowling physical game.
"I have also worked very closely with my psychologist and learning to appreciate every opportunity and make it count, especially when the borders started opening up and tournaments became more frequent."
While Tan had hoped for a higher placing, she was happy with her progress.
She said: "I'm not close to where I want my game to be or as getting it as quick as I want it to be, but I'm throwing it better and have been for a while, so I'm satisfied with this performance and the direction I'm heading.
"Slowly but surely, I'm able to implement more of what I have been working on in training into a competition setting."
