Train Hard, Play Hard: Norah Paul Gabriel Targets Title in Her Final Asian Youth Netball Championship
- Hana Basir
- Jun 30
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 1
After losing out to Malaysia in the previous edition, Team Singapore netballer Norah Paul Gabriel is hungry for redemption, in what will be her last Asian Youth Netball Championship
This is a feature article written by SportPlus.sg for Kallang Alive Sports Management. For more sports events, programmes and human stories of Singapore Sports Hub, visit the Singapore Sports Hub's 'Here to Play' website.
It was heartbreak for the Singapore U21 Netball team two years ago at the 2023 Asian Youth Netball Championships, when they lost the title to Malaysia in the finals in Jeonju, South Korea. It’s a memory that’s still vivid in most of the players. This year, they’re out for redemption.
Now already back in Jeonju, where heartbreak struck two years ago, the team is fired up and ready for another shot at the title. The Singaporeans have reached three consecutive finals at the Asian Youth Netball Championships, facing off against their Causeway rivals each time. They triumphed the first time in 2017, but fell to the Malaysians in both 2019 and 2023.
For Norah Paul Gabriel, who was a key player at the 2023 edition, lifting that trophy on 4th July will be bittersweet, and is something she wants—bad.
“I really want to win!” she laughed—but you could tell she meant every word.
“It’ll be really amazing for me because it’ll be my last one. I won’t be eligible anymore. I don't know what the future holds for me in Singapore Netball so it’ll be really special to win my last one.”
Norah, who often plays in the center of the court, rose up the ranks from the U14s all the way to the Opens, which she was called up to at the ripe age of 18. The experience she gained playing with the senior team at a young age was invaluable, despite the little bit of imposter syndrome she faced. Learning from Her Teammates
“I was the youngest there at the time so I was like, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing here,’” she said shyly, before adding that she did learn a lot from her teammates.
“They took me under their wing, taught me and guided me in-game. They were really nice, thankfully, and that was very helpful.”
It was then though, when everything seemed to crumble for the bright-eyed 18-year-old. Just as she began making waves with the Opens, Norah was hit with a serious injury—one of the most dreaded ones amongst athletes.
Her comeback however, is her proudest moment of her career so far.
“I tore my ACL when I was 18 when I first got put into the Opens squad. Then my first tournament back, which was my first major tournament, was the Asian Youths in 2023. I was really happy because it wasn't easy and I was only 18. It was hard. Looking back, I’m quite happy with the way I played coming back from my ACL,” she recollected fondly.
Norah also credits one particular teammate—both a friend and a role model—for helping her through the dark tunnel.
“The teammate I look up to is Rachel Ling. She’s one of my good friends off the court too and I really enjoy hanging out with her! She’s really motivating. When I tore my ACL, she was there for me. I’m really proud of her actually because she played in the recent UAE Netball Cup and she was really amazing,” gushed Nora.
“I want to be like her! She’s not that much older than me, but because she plays in a similar position as me, it’s easy to learn from her. She’s very committed in defence as a center and I find that amazing. It’s something I look up to and I strive to be like that.”
Spending much of their time at Singapore Sports Hub, home to Singapore Netball amongst many others, Norah has bonded with many of her teammates here—calling it her second home before her move to Australia.
“My Kampung at Kallang Wave Mall is my favourite place here. It’s where my teammates and I go after gym training. We have lots of good memories there because of the post gym chit-chat and we chill there until it closes. It’s great bonding with each other, those are my favourite memories at Singapore Sports Hub,” she shared.
“If we didn't have Singapore Sports Institute (SSI) and the court here, it’d be hard for us to find courts to train at. I feel like for me at least, this is one of the best courts. I love this court! We've also got the track at the 100PLUS Promenade so if we’re not training and want to run, we can use that too.”
Now based in Melbourne, Australia, pursuing both her academics and netball, Norah shared that it had always been her dream to study overseas.
But she just couldn’t leave netball behind.
With the help of Netball Singapore, the Monash University student said it “all went hand-in-hand” when she found a club to play and train with alongside her studies Down Under.
“I think it’s definitely harder training with the girls there. The skill level in Australia is higher so I think it’s definitely challenging for me but I feel like I've been adapting well. I’ve learned a lot from the girls and the coaches. They have a different style of coaching too so it’s something I’ve had to adapt to but I think I've been doing pretty well and I’ve been enjoying myself,” she smiled.
Training with the highly-skilled players in Australia, coupled with her experience at the 2023 Asian Youth Netball Championships, Norah highlights the need for consistency in the team—which they hope to improve on this year after their second placed finish two years ago.
“Obviously, it wasn't ideal to come in second but we weren't consistent in our game and we could have done better in that. I think moving forward, bringing that into a new team, we have to play simple netball and be consistent so we can win,” explained the center, who then had this to say to her teammates in Jeonju.
“Maybe just play your best! There’s no stress. Leave everything on the court. If you have a bad game, it’s okay. Just move on from it and take the lessons from that game and bring it to the next one. Don’t dwell on things. Train hard, play hard!”
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