Cover Photo: Natasha Roslan/Instagram
Photo: Natasha Roslan/Instagram
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The 28-year-old national bowler beat Germany’s Birgit Noreiks in two rounds in the women’s singles final last week in Hong Kong
In the 53 years since the International Bowling Federation World Cup first started, only one Malaysian has dominated the competition—Mohd Syafiq Ridhwan Abdul Malek, who won the men’s title in 2012. This year, 28-year-old Natasha Roslan made history, becoming the first Malaysian woman to win a title at the IBF World Cup final in Hong Kong this week.
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Roslan beat Germany’s Birgit Noreiks 217-166, 226-169 in the women’s singles final at the Kai Tak Sports Park on January 10, becoming the first Malaysian to win the women’s singles title and earning her third second world-level title after clinching the 2023 World Bowling Championship gold medal in Kuwait (despite enduring a thumb injury) and the world team title in Las Vegas in 2017.
“Honored and humbled to be the first Malaysian woman to win the IBF World Cup. Here's to breaking boundaries and inspiring the next generation,” wrote the young champion on Instagram.
Roslan’s can-do spirit, hard work, and undeniable talent have been applauded by Malaysians everywhere, with words of praise and congratulations coming in from the Malaysian prime minister himself, Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim along with Youth and Sports Minister, Hannah Yeoh.
In December 2024, the national bowling sensation was honoured with the Darjah Kebesaran Ahli Kegemilangan Sukan Selangor (A.K.S) in conjunction with Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah’s 79th birthday celebration.
In a 2023 interview with The New Straits Times, the young champ’s father Roslan Ismail revealed that his daughter’s love for bowling since she was very young, with her first competition in the sport at the age of just eight.
Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
