Singaporean badminton star eyes Olympic medal

Singaporean badminton player Loh Kean Yew. Photo by Instagram/@lohkeanyew

Loh struggled to maintain his form on the court in 2023. After climbing to a career-high number 3 in the world and becoming the first Singaporean male player to qualify for the BWF World Tour Finals in 2022, Loh dropped to 10th the next year as he could not stay competitive enough to keep his place.

In 2024, Loh has set a goal to become the first Singaporean to win an Olympic badminton medal in Paris.

“Since the last Olympics, it’s been a challenging journey of finding my way and place among the top players. I’ve had highs and lows and the work on improvement in every aspect never ends. The Olympics is the pinnacle of most athletes’ careers, so 2024 will be significant for me too,” he told The Strait Times.

Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) has set a specific plan for Loh and number 22 on the women’s world ranking Yeo Jia Min, as they are bound to qualify for the Olympics.

According to SBA director Martin Andrew, the goal in 2024 would be to take Loh to the world’s top eight and Yeo to top 14, as they target seeding places in Paris.

Loh will start 2024 with the Malaysia Open, taking place from Jan. 9-14.