First Individual Title 'Means the World' to Ong

Since becoming a national youth bowler as a 13-year-old, Mike Ong has endured a long wait for his first individual title in a major competition.

- Deepanraj Ganesan

And as the Singaporean came closer to ending the drought, self-doubt began to creep in.

At the Thailand International Open Bowling Championships in July, he settled for second position for a second consecutive year in the men's open, having finished third in the 2023 edition.

But on Aug 27, against a stacked Asian field, the breakthrough finally arrived for the 19-year-old as he struck gold in the boys' Masters event at the Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships in Malaysia.

In the stepladder final at the Sunway Megalanes in Petaling Jaya, the third-seeded Ong beat Japanese top seed Fumine Suda 248-246, 216-203 in the title decider, after overcoming second seed Shin Ji-ho of South Korea 202-198 in the semi-finals.

"This medal means the world to me," said Ong.

"After months of heavy self-doubt and hard work, it proves to be a testament that hard work always pays off. The field was stacked with amazing bowlers around Asia and this was no easy feat. No amount of words can describe this feeling.