KUALA LUMPUR: Olympics-bound M. Thinaah revealed that she was once at a crossroads in her career - quit badminton or switch to the doubles.
The Klang-born Thinaah started her career with the national team as a singles player with limited success, and admitted that she found herself in a make-or- break situation.
She admitted that switching to the doubles would be tough, but to pursue her childhood Olympic dream, she persevered despite the many challenges.
It was former BAM doubles coach Rosman Razak who took Thinaah under his wing as a doubles player, and the rest is history.
"After very little results as a singles player, I had to choose between quitting badminton or switching to doubles,'' said Thinaah.
"There is a lot that you need to learn transitioning from singles to doubles, but it is my dream to play at the Olympics, and I persisted.
"I want to thank coach Rosman for accepting me and guiding me as a doubles player," said Thinaah.
She thanked her partner, Pearly Tan, and the coaches who stood by her in achieving Olympic qualification.
The 26-year-old stressed that having the willpower to keep going despite facing challenging times is key to her making it to the Paris Games.
Thinaah and Pearly were partnered together in June of 2019, and they went on to win the Swiss Open in 2021 and the French Open in 2022.
They also won the women's doubles gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, defeating home pair Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith.