KUALA LUMPUR: Newly turned professional shuttlers Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani have vowed to swiftly justify their new sponsor's (Victor) faith in them by breaking into the top 10 of the men's doubles rankings.
The World No. 12 aim to achieve this before working towards qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin certainly could not have asked for a better start to their independent career after being unveiled as ambassadors for the renowned Taiwanese sporting brand on Sept 1 — a day after being released from the national team.
They now join the list of notable Malaysian independent shuttlers sponsored by Victor, including Paris Olympic bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing.
Denmark's Anders Antonsen, Taiwan's former world No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying and Indonesia's multiple world champions Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan are among the illustrious international stars backed by the brand.
"I'm glad to be part of Team Victor, and I believe Victor can bring out the best in me," said Sze Fei in the video shared by Victor across its social media platforms.
"(The target is) to achieve top 10 as soon as possible and our final target is to qualify for the LA 2028 Olympics."
Izzuddin was delighted to immediately find their footing with the support from their new sponsor.
"I'm happy and excited to collaborate with Victor. Thanks for supporting us and recognising our potential," said Izzuddin.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin will make their debut in Victor's gear when they compete in the Hong Kong Open from Sept 10-15.
Their back-to-back schedule includes the China Open from Sept 17-22.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin hopes to build on their Japan Open victory and edge closer to returning to the top 10 for the first time since January last year.
They were ranked a career-best No. 9 in December 2022.