"'PAT ON THE BACK' FOR YEW"

Netballer upbeat after overcoming injury as S'pore eye Asian c'ship crown

- Kimberly Kwek

Playing at the Asian Netball Championship in 2022 was a significant milestone for Singapore defender Yew Shu Ning, as she made her national debut in front of a home crowd at the OCBC Arena.

When the 26-year-old steps onto the court at the Koramangala Stadium in Bangalore for her second Asian championship this week, it will be another special occasion for very different reasons.

The past year leading up to the Oct 18-27 tournament in India has been a difficult one as she worked her way back from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that she sustained at the 2023 Netball World Cup in South Africa.

For Yew, being back in the national team feels like "a pat on the back" having persevered through a long rehabilitation process with complications along the way.

After being on the sidelines for over a year, she is excited to just be able to play netball again.

"I was so happy to even touch the ball, to even play games, work out combinations and play together (with my teammates) even if it was for one or two minutes," said the cyber-security analyst, who picked up the sport in secondary school.

She tore the ACL in her right knee in August 2023 when Singapore defeated Asian champions Sri Lanka 49-46 in the 15th-place play-off at the World Cup.