SINGAPORE – At the age of 18 in 2020, K. Mishalenee should have been budding in her netball career. But an injury stalled her journey, nearly causing her to give it up. 

After heeding her coach’s advice to stay the course, however, she is starting to blossom.

In 2023, she earned a call-up to the national opens squad after being named the Netball Super League’s (NSL) most improved Under-21 player. The 1.83m defender is also in the Singapore Under-21 squad at the ongoing Asian Youth Netball Championship (AYNC) in South Korea. 

Mishalenee, who has played the sport since she was eight, hurt her knee in a National School Games B Division match in her final season. Not realising the severity as she could still walk, she continued to take part in the competition. 

The pain persisted in junior college. She finally got it checked after her first A Division season and found she had a tear in her anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus. 

“After (surgery), it was very difficult to come back. I thought I was going to quit,” she said. 

Following a year of rehabilitation and physiotherapy, she struggled to return to netball.

Not only was her physical condition not as good as before, but the Covid-19 pandemic also caused the National School Games to be cancelled in 2020.

The NSL returned the following year, but Mishalenee, who plays for the Fier Orcas, felt detached. 

“I was back to training competitively but I felt like it wasn’t at 100 per cent,” she recalled. 

By the end of 2021, she was focusing more on school and part-time work, missing numerous training sessions. Just as she was ready to quit the sport, a talk with her long-time coach Kok Mun Wai, who had trained her since she was 13, made her reconsider.

“She sat me down, said she sees my potential and I should try for it… she told me to not give up. That’s when I’m like, okay, I’ll give it one last try,” said Mishalenee.

Still feeling insecure, she sat out much of the 2022 NSL season. But when teammate Reena Rajamohan got injured, Kok replaced her with Mishalenee.

That was the spark that reignited her career, leading to a spot in the national Under-21 team. 

She continued to train hard, pushed herself to get stronger and religiously attended gym sessions. Her hard work was rewarded with a national squad call-up and being named the most improved Under-21 player in the 2023 NSL.

The 54-year-old Kok, who is also assistant coach of the Singapore Under-21 team, said: “Misha may be only 21 but she is a very experienced player…

“She may look very confident and proud but… she’s willing to learn and listen and she’s a very loyal person as well.” 

The coach is eyeing a top-two finish at the AYNC, adding that their preparation against the national opens side augurs well against the Asian powerhouses.

Singapore, who started their AYNC campaign with a 90-8 victory over Brunei in Group B on Saturday, will meet Chinese Taipei on Monday before facing Sri Lanka and South Korea respectively over the next two days.

The top two sides will advance to the semi-finals.

It is set to be a busy year for Mishalenee. After the AYNC, there is the Netball World Cup in South Africa in July, October’s MiRXES Nations Cup in Singapore, and November’s Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games in Thailand. 

“One year can change a lot. I always look back, and I’m like, did I really think of quitting?” she said.