PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Dania Sofea Zaidi’s hopes of a memorable farewell at the World Junior Championships in Guwahati, India, from Oct 6-19 have been dashed after the youngster was ruled out with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
The Johor player sustained the injury while representing her state in the National Inter-state Under-18 Mixed Team Championships in Penang last Sunday.
Partnering Hasyni Devi Sahathevan in the girls’ doubles, Dania faced Penang’s Christine Lam-Nicole Chau but lasted only 25 minutes on court before having to withdraw.
Positive mindset: Dania Sofea Zaidi giving a thumbs-up.
“At that moment, my opponent hit a half-court shot to my backhand side. I tried to leap for the smash but misjudged it, and when I landed, my foot placement was wrong.
“My knee twisted inward and I fell. I tried to get up and continue playing, but my knee just couldn’t hold up any more,” said Dania when met at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
Further examinations revealed that Dania has suffered a grade 3 ACL tear in her left knee, meaning the ligament is completely torn and can no longer provide stability.
“I guess it was just not my luck this year. Still, I’m grateful that last year I managed to win a medal at the World Junior Championships.
“Of course, I feel sad as this was meant to be my final year in the tournament with a strong chance at another medal, but what’s done is done, and I need to move on,” she added.
Although her dream of competing at the World Junior Championships has been shattered, Dania remains in high spirits after receiving encouragement from those around her.
She is now awaiting the date of her surgery and is determined to undergo rehabilitation with full commitment to make a strong return to the court.
“Many coaches have comforted me and reminded me not to be too disappointed about missing the world juniors because it is just one platform and does not determine future success at the senior level.
“Once I have fully recovered, they will help me work towards winning titles at the senior stage,” said Dania.
Last year in Nanchang, China, Dania partnered Low Zi Yu to finish as runners-up at the World Junior Championships after losing in the final to Japanese pair Ririna Hiramoto and Aya Tamaki.
