SINGAPORE – Even when Nur Irdina Hazly qualified as the second seed for the stepladder event in bowling’s Singapore National women’s open division on Nov 25, the odds were stacked against her.
Standing in her way were 2019 world champion Cherie Tan in the semi-final and 2019 SEA Games singles gold medallist New Hui Fen in the final.
But the 16-year-old was unfazed by her hardened seniors, embracing her underdog status and withstanding the pressure to become national champion at Temasek Club.
Instead of passionate fist pumps and exclamations of delight, Irdina remained composed and did not break character even after victory was confirmed.
“Honestly, I wasn’t really focused on the score and I tried to do whatever I can. Even if I had lost, I know I did my best. Now I just want to go home and reply to everyone who congratulated me online,” she said.
Against Tan in their semi-final, with their scores tied at 201 pinfalls apiece after 10 frames, she held her nerve in a nail-biting two-frame roll-off with four consecutive strikes to prevail 60-50.
“I didn’t feel any emotions. I just went and threw. It was just like muscle memory,” Irdina said.
She kept the same ice-cool composure in the final against New, prevailing 199-194 in the first game before clinching the title with a 216-200 win in the second game.
While the Singapore Sports School (SSP) Secondary 4 student has a great amount of respect for the likes of Tan and New, she is confident in her own abilities.
She said: “They are consistently performing at the highest level so it’s quite impressive, but I want to be better than them. I’m my own person, and I can be the best version of myself.”
SSP coach Clara Lau believes Irdina has the potential to be one of Singapore’s best bowlers.
Lau said: “She’s an extremely dedicated and very highly motivated individual. She’s proven her case today. While she has a long runway, I think she has what it takes to be there one day.”
On Nov 24, Irdina finished second in National Youth Championships; held concurrently with the Singapore National Championships. A total of 761 keglers competed across all the categories.
Despite falling to eventual girls’ division champion Ashley Thia in the final, Irdina said she felt no disappointment and treated it like just another game.
Boys’ division runner-up John Faragalla, however, channelled his frustration positively to claim the men’s open title, defeating Aiman Lim 201-156 in the final.
John, 18, said: “I told myself today, I have to do better. So I slept well and made sure I was prepared. It turned out well. I let my frustration out with a win. It’s a wonderful experience and I’m really glad I managed to reach this spot.”
Both he and Irdina are members of the National Development Squad (NDS).
NDS assistant coach Jensen Lim credited their successes to a growth-oriented mindset.
Lim said: “Irdina, John and Aiman are the role models of consistent performances in their NDS journey. This is due to their commitment and focus in their overall development process, which is not results oriented. They are definitely on the right track for their next step of development.”
