SEA Games debutante Charmaine Chang made a dream start, winning the women's singles despite an unfavoured seeding. Photo: SNOC/ Kelly Wong
By her own admission, the singles event is not typically one that bowler Charmaine Chang pins high hopes on. Instead, she uses it to find her rhythm while she figures out the lines and patterns of the lanes.
So the 25-year-old surprised even herself when she emerged top in the women’s singles event, kicking off her debut SEA Games with a gold medal.
Chang, who entered the quarter-finals as the lowest seed, had to beat top seed Marian Lara Posadas in the last eight (234-209), before eliminating team-mate Colleen Pee (244-234) in the semi-finals.
But by the time she faced second seed Natasha Mohamed Roslan of Malaysia, she was undoubtedly on a roll, posting 234 to 191 pinfalls to take the top prize.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” she said. “I usually have a slower start into these kinds of championships. For me to (finish) as champion was unexpected, but I’m quite happy that my work over the past few years has paid off.
“If you see my qualifying scores, I was struggling to find the pocket to get the strikes in. My opponents had really great carry during the qualifying rounds. For me to get all the way to the final was great. I had coach Helmi (Chew) to ground me, and I just tried to get in one shot at a time.”
Chang had won at the Blu-O Rhythm & Bowl Ratchayothin before. In fact, it was here in July, on her birthday, that she clinched her first international win at the Thai Open.
This time, there was a different birthday to celebrate – her mum Agnes Tan turned 57 a day earlier, and was watching from the stands.
Said Chang: “I don’t often see her on her birthday because her birthday always falls during competition period. For her to see me win so close to her birthday was a good experience. I’m very thankful that I can give her this little present.”
Teammate Pee takes a bronze medal for her semi-final finish.
Chang will hope to ride her momentum into the doubles event two days later.
She said: “It's a good feeling, but anything can happen. So it will also be for me to see what I can improve on.”
The 33rd SEA Games are held in Thailand from 9 to 20 December 2025. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.