Windhoek: Namibia's lawn bowls team has written a remarkable chapter in the country's Commonwealth Games history, with Amanda Steenkamp and Diana Viljoen producing a string of outstanding performances at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Competing in Section B of the women's pairs, the Namibian duo recovered from an opening-day defeat to England to record impressive victories over Malta, India, Tonga and South Africa, securing the country's best-ever finish in the women's pairs competition.According to Namibia Press Agency, Namibia temporarily topped the standing on 12 points with only the England-India match-scheduled for Sunday night-remaining. With only the section winner progressing to the semi-finals, the winner of that final fixture was set to draw level on points to decide who would move forward. Facing some of the world's strongest lawn bowls nations, the experienced pairing displayed composure, precision and resilience throughout the competition.Speaking to Nampa after their final sectional ma tch, Viljoen said the magnitude of the achievement had yet to fully sink in. "It's been amazing. I don't think we really know what's happened because we had such a good sectional tournament and only lost our very first game. We're just so blessed with every win, every single win that we had," she said. She added that every nation they faced was of the highest calibre, making each victory even more rewarding. "The countries we played are all amazing, and to come away with victories against them is absolutely incredible," Viljoen said.The campaign was particularly memorable for Steenkamp, who competed indoors at a Commonwealth Games for the first time. "It's the first time playing indoors for me. Diana has played indoors before, but we practiced in Walvis Bay using a fishing net to replicate the speed and worked on getting used to it. It paid off," she said.Meanwhile, Viljoen believes that Namibia's small squad could also prove advantageous in the individual competition. While many countries field separate players for the singles and pairs events, Namibia's two representatives will have already gained valuable match experience on the Glasgow surface before competing in the women's singles. "Namibia is actually fortunate to have only received two places for this event because many other countries have a different player in the singles to the two who played in the pairs. That player comes in cold, whereas I'll have had three or four days of competition on the surface before my singles begin. I think that's a real advantage, and I'm looking forward to it," Viljoen said.Beyond their historic achievement, both players hope their success will inspire a new generation of Namibian lawn bowlers. "To the young bowlers, just keep trying. Amanda and I have played together for many, many years. We're considered veterans of the sport in Namibia, but it's never too late to reach the top. We won't stop until we get there," Viljoen said. Viljoen is scheduled to begin her women's singles campaign on Wednesday.More than 72 na tions and territories are competing in the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where 215 gold medals are being contested in 10 sports from 23 July to 02 August.