Badminton star Yeo Jia Min becomes first S’porean to progress to Olympics knockout stages since 2012

Yeo Jia Min becomes first Singaporean to progress to Olympics knockout stages since 2012

On Tuesday (30 July), Yeo Jia Min became the first Singaporean shuttler to progress to the Olympics knockout stages since 2012.

This came after the 25-year-old’s second Group I match, which saw her cruise to victory after securing straight sets of 21-12 and 21-6 against Mauritius’ Kate Foo Kune.

In her earlier Group I game, Yeo — who’s 20th in the world rankings — defeated Iran-born Dorsa Yavarivafa.

With two wins under her belt, Yeo tops Group I and will likely face Japan’s Aya Ohori, who’s ranked 10th in the world, in the Round of 16.

The pair met on three prior occasions, with Ohori winning all three encounters. Their most recent meeting was at the Asia Championships in February where Yeo lost 21-12, 21-12 to her Japanese opponent.

Gu Juan was the previous Singapore shuttler to progress to the knockout rounds at an Olympic games. She reached the Round of 16 in the London Olympics but bowed out of the tournament after losing to Taiwan’s Cheng Shao-chieh.

Hopes to play “freely” and without regrets

Speaking to reporters after her game, Yeo said “anything can happen” and expressed her desire to “play freely on court” and “give (her) best with no regrets”.

Yeo also said that her recent recovery from injuries has allowed her to grow as a person and described the journey as “valuable”.

Yeo was eliminated in the group stages during the previous Olympics three years ago in Tokyo.

Also read: When do Team S’pore athletes compete at Paris Olympics 2024? Here’s the complete schedule

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Featured image adapted from Singapore National Olympic Council on Facebook.