malaysiang
KUCHING, Lawn bowling is synonymous with Terengganu who are the powerhouse of the sport after emerging as the overall champion in the previous two editions of the Malaysia Games (SUKMA).
Sharing on the success formula of the state lawn bowling squad in SUKMA, its head coach Zulkepli Abd Wahab said this is due to the high commitment of the coaching staff who are willing to conduct training at any time.
In addition, Zulkepli, who has spent nearly 20 years guiding the state squad, said the Terengganu Lawn Bowling Association also plays an important role in developing the precision sport in the East Coast state.
‘From the point of view of the athletes, especially from the aspect of training, there are many coaches who are ready to give training no matter the time.
‘Another thing is that we are assisted by the association’s committee which is dedicated to the advance of lawn bowling by helping the coaches to prepare athletes for each tournament,’ he told Bernama at the Sarawak Lawn Bowls Arena in Kuching here
today.
Terengganu today began the fight to retain the title for the third time in a row when the SUKMA 2024 lawn bowling competition starts here with the preliminary round.
Zulkepli said the Terengganu men’s squad currently comprised mostly new faces while the women’s team is a blend of young and senior players.
Despite that, he said, Terengganu still harbour high hopes of scoring three gold medals like in the last edition.
‘Our target is not too far-fetched, three gold out of nine (overall), I think with such excellent form shown by our players, I think we may be able to surpass that target,’ he said without revealing details.
However, he expects the five states of Johor, Sarawak, Federal Territory, Perak and Selangor to provide fierce opposition as they were often in the top-three finish in previous editions.
The lawn bowling competition which offers a total of nine gold medals is scheduled to take place from today until next Aug 23.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
