Yeo Jia Min exits Olympics after heartbreaking loss, Loh Kean Yew to face reigning gold medalist in quarters

Badminton star Yeo Jia Min suffers heartbreaking loss at Paris Olympics

Yeo Jia Min made the country proud earlier this week by becoming the first Singaporean shuttler to progress to the Olympics knockout stages since 2012.

However, her hopes of clinching a medal for Singapore were crushed after her narrow loss against Japan’s Aya Ohori in the early hours of Friday (2 Aug).

Despite winning the first game 21-11, Yeo lost the second set to her 10th-rank opponent 21-14.

Yeo secured a matchpoint in the final game but failed to convert the opportunity. Ohori went on to win the set 24-22.

“I’m sad that I couldn’t get the win for Singapore today,” Yeo told Channel NewsAsia (CNA).

Despite being eliminated, Yeo still equalled the best finish by a Singaporean female women’s singles player at the Olympics.

Loh Kean Yew faces Axelsen in quarter-finals

After qualifying for the round of 16 on Wednesday (31 July), Loh Kean Yew became the first Singaporean men’s singles player to qualify for the Olympic knockout rounds in 20 years.

Continuing his winning streak, Loh triumphed over China’s Li Shifeng on Thursday (1 Aug) to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Loh narrowly edged through the first set with a 23-21 scoreline but took the second game convincingly 21-15.

Loh will face his good friend and defending champion Viktor Axelsen at about 3.05am on Saturday (3 Aug).

Ahead of the match, Loh told The Straits Times (ST):

I enjoy the chase because the pressure is on him, not me. He has an extra day’s rest and he wants to defend his title. I’m just going to enjoy and give my best.

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 Team Singapore on Facebook and Facebook.