In fact, the 24-year-old intends to mark her second Asiad appearance by proving to everyone that she packs a lethal punch on the lanes.
In Guangzhou, Zandra will be seeking to defend the women’s team gold medal they won in Doha four years ago. The others in the team were Shalin Zulkifli, Wendy Chai, Esther Cheah, Choy Poh Lai and Sharon Koh.
Except for Wendy and Poh Lai, the others are still in the squad this year, with the addition of Sin Li Jane and Zatil Iman Abdul Ghani.
“It was a concerted effort by all of us in the team. And, this year, I will once again focus on winning the team gold,” said Zandra.
“If I win anything else, it will be a bonus.”
Zandra’s year has been a case of close calls.
She came close to winning the Sinai International Open in Egypt in April, only to be denied by the hosts’ Mennat Soltan in the step-ladder final. Then, in the Hong Kong Open in September, Zandra was again relegated to the bridesmaid’s role when she lost to Shalin in the final.
“It’s very frustrating to come out second best because you don’t want to be remembered as the ‘nearly’ one,” she said.
“But I’ll never give up and I will fight to prove that I can be the best. I believe in myself and I aim to unleash all my pent-up frustration in Guangzhou in my bid to win a gold medal”
Zandra said the bowlers were all well-prepared as “training has been in full force before we leave for Guangzhou on Thursday”.
That, she added, has left them with little time for rest even on weekends.
“But that’s okay with me. We are still training, we are still in high spirits and we aim to be successful in Guangzhou because nothing is more important than making our country proud.”
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