Malaysia finished ninth in Deaflympics mixed team bowling, missing second round by one pin as coach raises transport and planning concerns.
MALAYSIA’S Deaflympics 2025 campaign concluded with heartbreak as the national bowling team missed the mixed team second round by a single pin.
The Malaysian quartet of Ho Choon Seong, Syabil Azam Syamsul Azam, Siong Mui Hong and Siw Sing Hie finished ninth with 1,109 pinfalls at Higashiyamato Grand Bowl.
They trailed eighth-placed Germany by just one pin, ending Malaysia’s final medal hope at the Games.
National deaf bowling head coach Joe Tay revealed he will discuss his future with the Malaysian Deaf Sports Association after the Games conclude.
“I will probably need to have a proper one-on-one discussion with MSDeaf president Ong Shin Ruenn to look at the direction moving forward,” he told reporters.
Tay highlighted logistical challenges that affected team performance throughout the competition.
“For example, other teams stay near their venues and their travel time is around 15 minutes,” he said.
“Our players, however, have to wake up as early as 5 am to get to their venues.”
He previously attributed the men’s team early exit to transportation issues causing late arrivals.
The 37-kilometer journey from Deaflympics C to Higashiyamato Grand Bowl typically takes about one hour and 45 minutes.
Tay praised his players’ talent while acknowledging competition pressure may have limited breakthroughs.
“I am satisfied with one gold and one silver we picked up, but based on our overall form, we actually could have bagged more,” he said.
Bowling delivered Malaysia’s only gold through men’s doubles and a silver in women’s doubles.
Malaysia concluded their campaign with four medals total from bowling, karate and badminton.
The national contingent fell short of MSDeaf’s three-gold medal target for the Games.
