PETALING JAYA: World junior champion Low Zi Yu feels ready to move on from the junior ranks after finally landing the gold medal she had been chasing for the past two years.
Zi Yu and Genevie Lim made history by becoming Malaysia’s first girls’ doubles world junior champions after beating Japan’s Nijika Kamata-Shizuku Kashio 15-7, 9-15, 15-12 in Cairo on Saturday.
The victory was especially sweet for Zi Yu after she had suffered heartbreak in the final in the previous two editions - with Dania Sofea Zaidi in Nanchang (2024) and with Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan (2025).
This time, Zi Yu finally got her hands on the gold medal and also returned home with a silver from the mixed team event.
Malaysia’s run to the mixed team final ended a nine-year wait since the national squad last reached the title match at the 2017 edition.
Despite the success, the Segamat-born shuttler is leaving it to the coaching team to decide whether she will return for another World Junior Championships.
"I don’t know yet. If I’m called up again, maybe I will aim for another gold medal, but if not, I will focus on senior tournaments," said Zi Yu after arriving at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Monday (Oct 19).
"Personally, I’ve been playing girls’ doubles for the past two years and finally I managed to win this gold medal and make up for the disappointment before this.
"So I feel that I’m satisfied with what I have achieved."
At just 16, Zi Yu is still eligible to compete in another two editions of the world junior meets.
She has, however, already been exposed to senior-level competition alongside Noraqilah since the end of last year.
This year alone, the pair were selected for the Uber Cup Finals in Horsens, Denmark, as well as the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games last month.
Besides thanking the coaches and officials at the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) for their support, Zi Yu also paid tribute to her first coach Wee Hock Leng, who first spotted her talent.
Zi Yu began her badminton journey at Hock Leng’s Segamat Spiritual Badminton Club when she was six and remained with the club until joining the national set-up as a full-time trainee earlier this year.
"I want to thank coach Wee for always helping and supporting me. Without him, I would not be where I am today.
"He has coached me since I was young, and although the training with him was tough, it was also very enjoyable. I really appreciate everything he has done for me," added Zi Yu.
