SINGAPORE – National training squad bowler Quek Lu Yi clinched third place in the 9th DIBC-Citizen Open tournament in the United Arab Emirates after racking up 1,858 pinfalls in the eight-game final on Sunday.
The 20-year-old finished behind champion Miles Corney (1,904) of England and United Arab Emirates’ Naif Oqab (1,872) at the Dubai International Bowling Centre.
“Winning the third position validated the hard work I’ve put in throughout the years and gave me the confidence to continue going further,” said Quek, who won a gold and a bronze at the International Bowling Federation Under-21 World Championships in 2022.
“My coaches – Vincent Lim (senior national assistant coach) and Faizal Chew (national assistant coach) – gave me reassurance when I made good shots and it allowed me to stay calm and focus on what I had to do on my next frame.
“I stuck to my pre-shot routines to ensure that I did not rush through my shot-making. I would not be where I am today without the support from my coaches, teammates and family.”
Quek also relished the chance to take part in the competition, which was tough.
She said: “It was definitely a challenge going up against quality bowlers here at DIBC, but I was able to experience what it was like competing alongside male bowlers to fight for a spot in the masters.
“It was a good opportunity for me to learn from other bowlers as well, I was able to take away some learning points from this competition.”
The Singapore team in Dubai comprised bowlers from the men’s national team and the national training squad, with Arianne Tay (5th), Alyssa Koh (6th), Tay Ning (10th) and Ryan Toh (14th) also making it to the 14-athlete final.
Lim was pleased with the team’s performance, saying: “As a group, we felt they fared relatively well, the bowlers take home lessons from the qualification rounds every day, gathering information and make better decisions every day.
“They bowl fearlessly with their hearts out. Every competition is about learning and gaining experience on lanes and understanding the lanes and equipment better.”
Chew added: “In this one week, they competed as a team even though it was an individual event. When the juniors need help, the seniors were always there to help them too.”
