Kuala lumpur: Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan's participation in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is in doubt after the national women's doubles shuttler injured her left ankle during training on Thursday (Sept 10). However, the 19-year-old, who partners Low Zhi Yu, refuses to dwell too much on the situation and hopes the positive progress she has experienced since the first day of the injury will allow her to make her Asiad debut in Japan.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Noraqilah expressed her cautious optimism, stating, "I feel like it is getting better compared to the first day I got injured, but I still don't know yet. I have to go there (Japan) first and see how it goes." She mentioned that although she has been undergoing rehabilitation for the past few days and has taken to the court, her movement remains limited.

Noraqilah revealed that she still did not have a clear picture of the extent of the injury and that the doctor had advised her to travel to the Games first and assess her physical condition once in Japan. "The coach said if I feel that I can't play, then I shouldn't. But he said I should go first and see what the doctor there says," she added.

Despite the uncertainty, the desire to experience competing in the Asian Games for the first time is driving Noraqilah to strive towards regaining full fitness before the competition begins. When asked whether she would be willing to play through the pain to represent the country, Noraqilah said she prefers to remain optimistic about her chances.

Meanwhile, Zhi Yu, when asked about the possibility that she and Noraqilah may not feature in the Asiad, said she would leave it entirely to the coaching team to decide on the matter, adding that she was ready to partner with anyone if required. The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will be held from Saturday (Sept 19) to Oct 4.