Singapore’s Men Clinch Bronze In Badminton Asia Team Championships On 19 Feb
Since Loh Kean Yew put Singapore on the global stage after being crowned the badminton world champion, the national badminton team has continued making strides forward.
On Saturday (19 Feb), Singapore’s men’s national badminton team clinched the bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships for the first time in national history.
Even as the team narrowly fell to defending champions Indonesia in a tough battle, the medal was an immense consolation.
Their performance in the tournament in Selangor guarantees them a spot at the Thomas Cup in Bangkok come May.
Singapore falls to Indonesia in Badminton Asia Team Championships
Earlier on, Singapore’s men’s national badminton team entered the semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Team Championships.
However, on Saturday (19 Feb), the team’s remarkable run ended when they lost to Indonesia 3-2.
Singapore initially took the lead when world champion Loh Kean Yew beat 55th-ranked Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo.
The score for the first singles match was 21-17, 21-19.
Next up, doubles pair Andy Kwek and Wesley Koh fought against Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin.
But the pair eventually fell to the world No. 28 duo with a score of 16-21 and 12-21.
All tied up, singles player Jason Teh put Singapore in the lead again, winning Indonesian player Ikhsan Leonardo Imanuel Rumbay 18-21, 21-8, 21-9.
Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Terry Hee fought hard in the next doubles clash, winning their first game 21-15.
Eventually, they succumbed to the Indonesian pair Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana, with the next 2 games scoring 11-21 and 15-21.
In the last deciding match, world number 274 Joel Koh could not overcome ranked 203 Christian Adinata, losing 11-21, 14-21 within 35 minutes.
Loh Kean Yew hopes to keep up performance despite pressure
In a post-game interview, Loh Kean Yew shared that he struggled with consistency throughout the tournament as there were “good days and bad days”.
But despite the pressure, he felt that he handled it “quite well” in the semi-finals match against Indonesia.
Loh added that Indonesia is a strong team but was confident Team Singapore would go all out and give their very best against them.
Singapore’s first bronze medal in the tournament
Despite the loss to Indonesia, the Singapore men’s badminton team can be proud of their achievements, winning our nation’s first bronze medal in the tournament.
This grants them a spot in the upcoming Thomas Cup in Bangkok, which will take place from 8-15 May.
Today (20 Feb), the Badminton Asia Team Championships finals will be at 4pm.
Indonesia will face host nation Malaysia in the encounter.
All the best to Team Singapore
Singapore has come a long way in our sporting achievements over the years.
Kudos to the men’s badminton national team for their incredible feat at the Badminton Asia Team Championships and for making Singapore proud.
We wish them all the best as they gear up for the upcoming Thomas Cup in May.
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Featured image adapted from Badminton Asia and Loh Kean Yew on Instagram.
