KUALA LUMPUR — In the unforgiving world of sports, where luck plays a vital role, the story of Myisha Mohd Khairul serves as a stark reminder of how swiftly fortunes can change.
The former women’s singles shuttler left the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in December when she was given the boot after just two years of being in the national setup.
She was among 14 players who were sacked following BAM’s decision to trim down the squad to focus on “quality rather than quantity” so they could prepare players for the 2024 Paris Olympics and two more Olympic cycles.
Months after her departure, the 21-year-old decided to have a change of career, which led her to join AirAsia as a trainee cabin crew member.
Speaking to Scoop, Myisha said she is less than a month away from completing her cabin crew training.
“I am currently undergoing training as a cabin crew member at AirAsia… I started in June.
“It was my mother’s suggestion for me to explore a career in cabin crew, and I decided to take a chance.”
Once viewed as a rising star of Malaysia’s badminton, Myisha had to make a hard pivot after leaving BAM.
She sought sponsorships to continue her badminton career but faced challenges. While some sponsors came forward, their offers did not meet her needs.
She needed financial support for seven tournaments a year, but most sponsors could only provide for three.
“Going for just three tournaments a year is not enough for me to collect the points to play at higher levels.”
At the same time, Myisha admitted that without consistent training opportunities and facilities after leaving the national team, she struggled to stay competitive.
“BAM used to pay for everything like accommodation and food, plus I was living in Johor Bahru and the clubs were in Kuala Lumpur.
“So I sat down with my family during Ramadan (in April) and discussed my future with them and decided to retire from being a badminton player and focus on finding a job.”
With her career path decided, Myisha said she would never return to the court, even if there were offers of sponsorship.
“I have made up my mind to retire from badminton.
“It is impossible to return to competition because I have not trained for six months,” said Myisha, who was awarded an RM10,000 bonus for her win at the Dutch International by the Johor government. — September 3, 2023