■ Ofelia C. Empian
There’s no stopping the Philippines’ top ranked lady darter, Giselle Bulahao, when she conquered the Malaysian Open and Johor Open 2023 ladies’ singles titles in Malaysia.
Bulahao of Tuba, Benguet defeated Indian national champion Mahi Bosmia, 3-0, during the finals of the Malaysian Open.
At 17 years old, Bosmia earlier ousted Filipino hall of famer Jan-jan Hinojales in the quarterfinals.
On Oct. 11, the 29-year-old Bulahao topped the Johor Open at the expense of Philippine Open 2023 champion Mylene Santos. She also defeated Santos in the semifinals of the Malaysian ladies’ open.
Bulahao thanked the people who backed her during her two-day stint in Malaysia. The event will be Bulahao’s first two ranking titles for World Darts Federation.
The Philippine dart team, powered by World Darts Championship veteran Noel Malicdem, Joel Hizon, Bobby Geba and Mark Opada, defeated Malaysia in the final to win the crown in the team event of Malaysian Open 2023 held recently at KSL Hotel and Resort in Johor.
For the men’s events, Hong Kong’s Man-Lok Leung proved the pick of the players in the almost 200-strong men’s events, winning both the Johor and Malaysia Open.
The event is sanctioned by the World Darts Federation – the governing body for the sport of darts internationally.
Bulahao of Team Kumpadres-Adan Builders Co. continues to dominate the top spot of the National Darts Federation of the Philippines Ladies national ranking at the close of the third quarter of the year with a total of 1,557 points.
She collected 225 points in the third quarter and has 27 championship titles out of 46 placements in Ladies Singles events since April 2022. Bulahao remains the frontrunner for the Chris Sports Lady Darter of the Year 2023.
