Singaporeans have never been known for their athletic prowess, but the Little Red Dot may be close to clinching an Olympic medal at Paris 2024, for the first time since Joseph Schooling’s historic win at Rio 2016.
This time, Singapore’s ace shuttler Loh Kean Yew made it through to the Badminton quarter-finals at the Olympics, exponentially increasing our nation’s chances at an Olympic medal.
Qualified for Quarter-finals After Win Against China
It was August 1, at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena, when 27-year-old Singaporean shuttler Loh Kean Yew made the quarter-finals at Paris 2024.
He had beaten his Chinese rival Li Shifeng, ranked sixth in the world, in a heated badminton game, taking the men’s singles match-up 23-21 and 21-15.
It was, sort of, an unexpected result. Loh had lost to Li in two previous games, but came in clutch against the Chinese shuttler at the most critical moment.
The match hadn’t been breezy either — Loh fell behind at the start, reaching a game point against Li.
However, the Singaporean kept fighting, eventually emerging victorious. In the second game, he got off to a fast and decisive start, racing past his rival to a 21-15 win.
For Loh, this wasn’t just a comeback against a rival — the win meant qualification for the quarter-finals, where he will face the defending champion, Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen.
Loh is also the first Singaporean to qualify for the Olympic quarter-finals in twenty years, making this a historic win.
Comeback After Olympic Debut
Back in 2021, Loh won the title of world Champion at the 2021 BWF World Championships.
He was the first Singaporean to ever win the title.
Unfortunately, he didn’t make it to the knockout round at his Tokyo 2020 Olympic debut, where he was eliminated at the group stages.
Talking to the media after his win, Loh stated that he “could not be too overjoyed”, because he had not yet clinched a medal.
Currently ranked twelfth in the world, Loh will be facing longtime rival Viktor Axelsen, the defending champion and second in the world.
Historically, he has managed to beat Axelsen twice.
Made Strong Start At The Games
Loh kicked off his run at Paris 2024 with a running start, winning his opening game in the group stages against Czech badminton player Jan Louda on 28 July.
After winning a match against El Salvador’s competitor Uriel Canjura, Loh was through to the Round of 16 stage, where he faced China’s Li and emerged victorious.
Loh was congratulated on Facebook after his win against Li by Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who acknowledged his historical feat and praised his skill in the game.
His next match against Axelson will be a challenge — he currently holds a 2-8 win record against the Dane.
His victory also puts him in the final 8, and a win at the quarter-final brings him and Singapore so much closer to Olympic glory. He now has a 37.5% chance at winning an Olympic medal.
The match is scheduled at 3.05am Singapore time tomorrow, so tune in to the Olympics then on meWatch or on television to cheer Loh on.
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