NATIONAL women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M.Thinaah received a timely boost ahead of the Sudirman Cup and Uber Cup when they were signed up as brand ambassadors for isotonic drink brand 100PLUS.
Following the retirement of Chow Mei Kuan after the Tokyo Olympics last month, Pearly-Thinaah automatically assumed the role of National No 1, and will spearhead Malaysia's charges at both the Sudirman Cup in Vantaa, Finland on Sept 26-Oct 3 and the Uber Cup in Aarhus, Denmark on Oct 9-17.
The reigning Swiss Open champions, who have been making headway since 2019, are hoping to achieve greater success with the new sponsorship deal.
"It's a great recognition for us. We now join the likes of national No 1 men's singles Lee Zii Jia, and Olympic bronze medallists, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik as 100PLUS brand ambassadors.
"This sponsorship deal is indeed a huge motivation for us ahead of our Sudirman and Uber Cup debut," Thinaah said yesterday.
On Saturday, BAM announced three young squads for the team events this year, which also include the Thomas Cup.
The national body who are looking to expose more youngsters for the new Olympic cycle, have set a quarter-final target for all three events.
"I don't think it's an impossible target for us. We may be a young and inexperienced squad but we have nothing to lose.
"Anything is possible if we can play without pressure," added Thinaah.
Pearly, a former World Junior Championships runner-up, is not too concerned with the recent retirement of two-time world junior champion Goh Jin Wei.
According to Pearly, there is always hope when there is a chance for younger players to shine at a major event.
"On paper, we are a very young team, but we are all very excited to be making our debuts at the Sudirman and Uber Cups.
"Everyone deserves a chance to prove their worth, and I believe anything is possible," said the 21-year-old.
For the Uber Cup, Malaysia are in Group D with 15-time champions China, Denmark and Canada, while for the world mixed team meet in Finland, Malaysia are also in Group D with Japan, England and Egypt.