Acquainted with adversity, Singapore's Loh Kean Yew gears up for second Olympics

SINGAPORE: Playing in front of an empty arena at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Loh Kean Yew had nothing to lose.

Ranked 42nd in the world, little was expected from the Singaporean badminton player in his debut Games campaign. 

But the unseeded Loh gave Indonesian star Jonatan Christie a run for his money and narrowly missed out on progressing to the next round.

“It’s better to surprise people at the Olympics, which was what I was trying to do,” Loh told CNA after a training session on Wednesday (May 1).

Fast forward just three years and the Singaporean, now world No 12, no longer has the element of surprise. But in its place is another weapon in the arsenal: Experience.

“I feel myself growing a lot throughout these few years,” Loh said. “It’s been a journey that not everyone has got to enjoy, so it’s been fun.”

It will be a busy few months for Loh, even though he has already booked his spot at the Paris Olympics from July to August this year.

The Singaporean finished twelfth in the “Race to Paris” rankings for the top 16 singles players to secure spots for their countries at the Games. 

Now the goal is to propel himself up the world rankings to obtain a favourable seeding for the Olympics.

To do so, the plan is to compete in a number of upcoming tournaments including the Thailand Open, Malaysia Masters, Singapore Open and Indonesia Open.

“I want to go as far as possible in these tournaments to get (a) better ranking (for Paris)," said Loh.

"Just go out there and chiong (go all out) and try to do my best. Ultimately Paris is still the main goal."

But the 26-year-old is also coping with a long-term right shoulder injury which has worsened in the last one to two months, he revealed.

“Recently it has flared up