Daphne Tan’s perseverance has paid off in spectacular fashion.
The 34-year-old national bowler was crowned Bowler of the Year 2024 at the Singapore Bowling Federation (SBF) awards night on 2 April at Orchid Country Club.
Closing a chapter of self-doubt and opening one of renewed confidence.
Her defining moment came in September 2023 at the Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships in Bangkok, where she ended a nine-year wait for an individual title with a stunning singles gold.
Not stopping there, she teamed up with Bernice Lim and New Hui Fen to clinch the women’s trios title, proving she was well and truly back at her best.
“It’s an honour to win amongst the rest of my teammates because they had a pretty good year. To win is a recognition of my achievements,” she told the Straits Times.
For Tan, the victory in Bangkok wasn’t just another title, it was a moment of long-overdue redemption.
Since winning the 2015 Southeast Asian Games singles gold, she had come agonizingly close on several occasions, with her best recent finish being fourth at the 2022 Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) BowlTV Classic.
“Actually the Asian Bowling Championships felt like a relief more than ‘Wow, I won’. The last singles that I won was nine years ago. I didn’t even realise that it was that long.”
“Previously, I was always working hard but not really consistently winning like my sister (Cherie), and then you start wondering ‘When is it going to be my turn?”
“It was a bit of a relief and to carry forward that momentum into the (International Bowling Federation) World Cup (in January) feels like the hard work is paying off,” said Tan.
With that mental barrier broken, Tan carried her momentum into 2024, clinching joint bronzes in the singles and team events at the World Cup in Hong Kong.
Now, she’s laser-focused on upcoming challenges, including the Malaysia Open (7-20 April), PWBA Tour events, and the International Bowling Federation (IBF) World Championships.
MAIN PHOTO: ABF