Badminton: Amid a tough 2022, world champion Loh Kean Yew is in search of his ‘better self’

SINGAPORE: Just a year ago, Loh Kean Yew was ranked 40th in the world.

Eliminated in the group stages of the men's singles at the Tokyo Olympics, his last tournament win was two years prior.

By his own admission, Loh was an unknown entity.

The Singaporean’s claim to fame was a 2019 Thailand Masters triumph, where he upset Chinese superstar Lin Dan in the finals.

And within the course of a few dizzying months in 2021, Loh’s life changed.

He won two titles in consecutive months, made the finals of a Super 1000 tournament and then overcame all odds to win the World Championships.

Hailed as the next big thing, expectations rose.

But Loh has preached the same mantra over and over again - consistency, consistency, consistency.

Just as quickly as his performance spiked, he knew that it could also easily dip. 

This year, 25-year-old has featured in 12 tournaments in just eight months - more than he did in the whole of 2021. 

He has played a whopping 42 matches, featuring in two finals - the India Open and the SEA Games - as well as making it to two semi-finals (Indonesia Masters and Singapore Open).

And while Loh feels that he has done better than he expected this year, there is undoubtedly room for improvement, he told CNA.

Most recently eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Commonwealth Games men’s singles last week by world number 42 Ng Tze Yong, the world number 9 now has a goal in mind. 

To find himself.

“My personal goal now is to try and find myself first. I am in the process of finding my better self ... on court,” the 25-year-old explained.

“That kind of self that goes (into a match) feeling like an underdog, that just chiong (charge ahead) with no worries, just play, just enjoy while being focused, that confident guy.”

At last