KUALA LUMPUR: Low Zi Yu is just 16 but has already set her sights on competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (LA28).
Her coach, Rosman Razak, believes her ambitious mindset makes her a precious gem in the national team.
This is also why the national women’s doubles chief has assured that world junior champion Zi Yu and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan will remain together as a permanent pairing in their bid to qualify for LA28.
World No. 4 Pearly-Thinaah look assured of their spots, with a nation allowed a maximum of two entries in the women’s doubles event, where 16 pairs qualify for the Olympics.
With world No. 26 Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting struggling to make an impact, the fast-rising world No. 42 pairing of Zi Yu-Noraqilah is seen as the leading prospect to join Pearly-Thinaah at LA28.
“That’s what makes her special. I think that despite being only 16 years old, she is one of those players with a very different mindset. She has high ambitions and knows exactly what she wants to achieve,” said Rosman.
“She is also very mature. That’s a very good quality because we want players with that kind of mentality.
“She has even told me directly, ‘Coach, I want this, I want that. I want to achieve certain things.’ But these are all positive ambitions, not negative demands. When people ask whether she wants to compete at the Olympics, she says yes, which is a good thing.
“Setting a target as big as the Olympics means she understands that she has to improve in many areas, make a lot of sacrifices and know what she needs to do to achieve that goal.
“As coaches, we are very pleased to see this attitude.”
Rosman added that Zi Yu, who won the world junior girls’ doubles title with Genevie Lim in Cairo last month, is a player who leads by example.
“Zi Yu doesn’t just talk about her ambitions, she backs them up with action. Since joining the national team, I believe she has improved in every aspect of her game. Her presence has also pushed the other players to raise their game,” said Rosman.
“Given that she is still young, her attitude and approach have had a positive influence on the team and helped lift the overall standard.”
Zi Yu’s success in Cairo also raised expectations that the Segamat-born player could be given a chance on the World Tour, but Rosman has ruled out the idea of splitting the partnership.
“I will not break up Zi Yu and Aqilah as they are already very good,” Rosman said.
“Next year, the Olympic qualification points will come into play. At the moment, Zi Yu is already ranked just outside the top 40. So, making changes to the pairings now would be quite risky.
“The other players are not yet at a sufficiently high level, and breaking into the top 32 with a new pairing would be extremely difficult if we were to start all over again.
“Ideally, at least for the Olympic qualification campaign, we need to have two or three pairs capable of challenging for places in the competition.”
Zi Yu and Noraqilah, 19, showed their pedigree when they toppled Japan’s world No. 5 pair Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanashi during the Uber Cup campaign in Horsens, Denmark.
They also finished runners-up at the Super 100 Baiji Masters, while reaching the quarter-finals of the Super 300 Taiwan Open and Super 500 Australian Open this year.
Meanwhile, Zi Yu’s efforts at the World Junior Championships were also rewarded on Tuesday, when she received RM10,000 from the Johor BA (JBA) and an additional RM3,000 from Eu Jin Sdn Bhd.
Zi Yu and Sarawak-born Genevie also received G-Shock watches as tokens of appreciation from the private company.