BAHRAINI bowlers Nadia Al Awadhi, Noora Majed and Majeda Taher claimed gold, silver and bronze medals respectively in the Women’s Masters at the seventh men’s and third women’s Arab Bowling Championship which took place at Ozone Bowling Centre in Sitra Mall last night.
Al Awadhi, who raised her gold medal count to four after winning the singles, doubles, teams and the Masters. She claimed 376 points which led her to victory against Majed in the finals.
Al Awadhi, who works as a lawyer for Batelco, spoke of her excitement after winning gold again.
“It’s a brilliant feeling to be able to win all of this. It just shows how consistency is important for us all as a team,” said Al Awadhi who is mother to Sami and Rayaan.
Al Awadhi’s husband Nasser Hassan, who also bowls, could not hide his excitement either.
“I’m married to a champion and I’m very proud of that,” he said.
Majed, who finished in second place claiming 331 points, said, “To be on a winning streak and get a podium every time is something great for Bahrain.”
“Playing against Al Awadhi wasn’t going to be easy but I didn’t look at personal glory as much as I looked at Bahrain getting gold. At the end of the day we all represent the kingdom,” the silver medallist said.
Taher managed to beat Aliaa Mohammed from Egypt to claim the bronze medal after compiling 374 points while her competitor managed a total of 350.
This is Taher’s first appearance in the semi-finals of a bowling Masters.
“It feels so good to get the bronze medal after Al Awadhi and Majed had the gold and silver between them. It feels like revenge after not winning for a long time.
“It’s my first appearance in the semi-finals of a Masters title and to win the bronze is something very good to me,” said Taher who is a business student at Bahrain Polytechnic.
Team coach Hoonpuo Lee said he was very proud of what he achieved with the team.
“I arrived in 2013 when we failed to win any gold. Today we have won gold in every category. It feels good that we finally succeeded.
“The team listened carefully to instructions and worked hard. The full team deserves to celebrate the win,” said the South Korean coach.
“Communication between me and the players was an important aspect and during the years, it improved significantly.”
In the men’s section, Salem Al Yhyooh from Kuwait managed to beat Emirati competitor Mahmood Al Attar for the title after finishing his two games with 440 points compared to his opponent’s 439.
Habib Al Mansoori, also from the UAE, claimed third place beating Egyptian Tarek Helmy after gathering 377 points. Helmy collected a total of 292 points.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Ahmed Fareed came in eighth pace in the second group of the men’s Masters with 1,514 points from eight games for an average of 189.3 with his highest game at 225. He failed to qualify for the latter stages of the Masters.