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Asian Youth Games: Singapore bowler New Hui Fen wins country's first gold medal

By Patwant Singh, Channel NewsAsia
Posted: 01 July 2009 2137 hrs

SINGAPORE: Singapore has won its first gold medal at the inaugural Asian Youth Games (AYG), and achieving that feat was bowler New Hui Fen in the girls' singles event.

The 16-year-old Sports School student recently won the Malaysian Open Girls' Masters Championship, and she continued her winning ways at the AYG, scoring 1,359 pinfalls in total for the gold.

Japan's Misaki Mukotani won silver with 1,314 pinfalls and Korea's Oh Nu Ri took the bronze with a score of 1,308 pinfalls.

New's win was all the more sweet as the president of Singapore Bowling had pledged S$2,000 and an equal amount was contributed by Orchid Bowl. The competition was held at the Orchid Country Club.

New said: "I just focused on my pre-shot routine and... just concentrated on each frame, and not the whole game itself."

Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said: "This is great news, we are all very happy with that, but I also want to add that the entire Singapore team is doing well.

"Our sailors are nicely positioned, and the table tennis team... I'm sure (they) will make good progress. I just want all Singaporeans to really come out and support Team Singapore."

Team Singapore's bowlers are expected to add to the medal tally over the next few days of competition.

Hong Kong also won its first gold, when Michael Mak topped the boys' singles with a total of 1,396 pinfalls. South Korea's Park Ji-Soo was second with 1,381, while his compatriot Hwang Dong-jun took the bronze.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...439779/1/.html