KUALA LUMPUR: Lavinia Kho underlined her growing stature in Malaysian bowling after a stellar showing at the Silver Jubilee edition of the Milo Storm U-22 International Junior All Stars at Sunway Mega Lanes on Sunday (Dec 14).
The talented 20-year-old Sarawakian clinched the girls’ Open title and finished inside the top 10 of the newly introduced Super Junior category (29-and-under), capping a tough 12-hour day that saw her bowl a total of 21 games.
Lavinia rose to the occasion in the three-way stepladder final, firing an impressive 242 to overcome national team members Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee (224) and Intan Nor Edryyana Nor Azliman (194).
Adelia recently impressed on her World Championships debut in Hong Kong by winning gold in the women’s singles event, while Intan is part of the national youth squad setup.
The victory earned Lavinia RM18,000, which she later boosted with an additional RM3,800 after finishing eighth in the Super Junior event.
She posted a 2,147 total in the 10-game roll-off to place eighth in the 30-player mixed-field contest, emerging as the highest-placed woman ahead of national elite bowlers Faten Najihah Ahmad Faik, Gillian Lim and Nur Syazwani Sahar, as well as some of the male competitors.
However, it was her triumph in the girls’ Open — the flagship event of the Junior All Stars, regarded as Asia’s most prestigious junior tournament — that stood out as the highlight.
“I went into the stepladder and my first shot was a split. Honestly, I panicked a little,” admitted Lavinia.
“Bowling against Adelia and Intan — they’re national bowlers and very good — I had to tell myself to calm down and give it everything. Thankfully, I managed to strike out at the back.”
The win marked Lavinia’s first-ever All Stars podium in the Open category.
“This is actually my first All Stars podium in the Open. It’s not easy — the field is very strong with bowlers from Korea, Singapore and Australia.
“At this level, even missing a spare can cost you dearly. You really have to stay focused and make sure every shot counts.”
The victory came as a timely relief after several near-misses this year, most notably at the Singapore Open, where she finished runner-up in the women’s Open.
Lavinia first burst into prominence in 2023 after a sensational triumph at the Malaysian Open.
Meanwhile, South Korea extended their dominance in the boys’ Open for a fourth successive year, with Kim Soo Han emerging champion after edging national elite bowler Shaqeem Izwan Teh 211-201 in the final.
Shaqeem narrowly missed out on the tournament’s record RM30,000 top prize, settling for RM18,000, but remained upbeat about his performance.
“I’m actually happy because my target was to make the podium at the All Stars, and I’ve never done that before,” said Shaqeem.
“Of course, it’s a little disappointing to lose such a close final, especially with the big difference in prize money, but this is still my best result of the season.
“I hope this performance helps me in the national team assessment. This is my first year in the elite team and I was a bit nervous. I really want to make the team for major events like the Asian Championships.”
The Super Junior title was won by Japan’s Masaaki Yoshihara, who pocketed the RM15,000 top prize.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
