Loh Kean Yew has made Singapore badminton history at the 2026 Asian Games.
The Singaporean defeated Indonesia’s world No. 1 Jonatan Christie 21-14, 21-19 in the men’s singles quarter-final on Sunday, 27 September, guaranteeing himself at least a bronze medal.
In doing so, Loh became the first Singaporean badminton player to win an individual medal at the Asian Games.
The result is a major update from just a day earlier, when Loh secured his quarter-final spot after beating Malaysia’s Justin Hoh 21-14, 21-14.
Loh Had Never Beaten Christie Before
The scale of Loh’s quarter-final victory becomes clearer when you look at his record against Christie.
Before Sunday’s match, Loh had faced the Indonesian 10 times and lost every one of those encounters.
This time, the Singaporean world No. 13 broke that streak against the top-ranked player in the world.
Loh took the first game 21-14 before completing the upset with a tighter 21-19 victory in the second.
Christie was also the 2018 Asian Games men’s singles champion.
The Indonesian had endured a late finish in the previous round, with The Straits Times reporting that his round-of-16 deciding game ended at about 2am.
Singapore Had Only One Asian Games Badminton Medal Before This
Singapore entered the 2026 Games having won just one Asian Games badminton medal in its history.
That came at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, when Singapore’s women’s team won bronze. CNA noted before this year’s Games that it remained the country’s only badminton medal at the competition.
The Singapore National Olympic Council’s Asian Games records also list the 2006 women’s team bronze.
Loh’s medal is therefore Singapore’s first in an individual badminton event at the Asian Games, and the country’s first badminton medal at the Games in 20 years.
Loh Will Play Semi-Final on 28 September
Loh’s run in Japan has already included several notable victories.
After receiving a bye in the opening round, he defeated India’s Lakshya Sen before beating Malaysia’s Justin Hoh to enter the quarter-finals.
He will next face either Japan’s world No. 7 Kodai Naraoka or South Korea’s world No. 46 Yoo Tae-bin in the semi-finals on Monday, 28 September, according to The Straits Times.
With both losing semi-finalists awarded bronze, Loh is already assured of a place on the podium regardless of his next result.
But after finally beating Christie on his 11th attempt, Singapore’s first individual Asian Games badminton medallist now has a shot at going even further.
