KUALA LUMPUR — National women’s hockey forward Hanis Nadiah Onn is thankful to be able to prove her mettle again at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games after serving out a suspension earlier this year.
Hanis Nadiah said the suspension punishment never dampened her spirit to work hard during her lone training sessions as she tried to convince head coach Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim to list her back into the national squad.
“I want to thank all the coaches for believing in my abilities. I worked hard every day (during my suspension period) to get back into the team,” she said when met at a recent training session.
The 26-year-old player, who is excited to make her second appearance at the Asian Games after the 2018 edition in Jakarta-Palembang, said she wants to use her experience to guide the 11 national players who will be making their debut at the quadrennial Games.
Hanis Nadiah is optimistic that she and her teammates can repeat their fifth placing at the September 23-October 8 Hangzhou Asiad in China.
In the meantime, Malaysian Tigress coach Mohd Nasihin praised the high commitment displayed by Hanis Nadiah, who has been diligently training alone before and after finishing work.
On February 9, the investigation committee of the National Sports Council (NSC) and Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) suspended Hanis Nadiah for allegedly posting racist comments on social media related to Indian singer and composer AR Rahman’s concert in the nation’s capital in January.
The decision saw her miss out on playing in the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, where Malaysia emerged as champions by beating Thailand 4-1 in the final.
Meanwhile, Mohd Nasihin is determined to prove that his team will not just be mere bystanders in Hangzhou and he is also confident that he will be able to gain as much experience as possible to help him form a stronger team for the 2026 edition in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The Malaysian Tigress are in Group A with India, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore for the 2022 Asiad, which was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
They will face Hong Kong on September 25, followed by India (Sept 29), Singapore (Oct 1) and South Korea (Oct 3). — September 16, 2023