Loh Kean Yew Hopeful Despite Recent Setbacks

Following that, he took an early exit at the All England Open and couldn't appear at the Swiss Open after being diagnosed with Covid-19. Despite his loss, his badminton journey is embedded with major accomplishments that have proved his calibre as a shuttler.

 

In December 2021, he struck a record as the first Singaporean to win a Badminton World Federation World Championships title. The 24-year-old made memorable deliveries and shocked everyone by beating world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen and world No. 3 Anders Antonsen besides defeating world number 14 Kidambi Srikanth in the finals to bag gold.

 

Loh Kean Yew Relishes Being the Underdog

 

Loh Kean Yew  has the ability to remain unfazed even when he is pitted against the world's best players. "I like to play as an underdog," he remarked. "The pressure is on them - I'm just going in to enjoy the game and challenge myself. When I play with them, I hope to see how far I am from them, what I can improve on and what I can learn from them." After winning the World Championships, the sports community stopped seeing him as an underdog but the young star has a different view on success. 

 

"Everyone views success differently. When I achieve one goal, I'd set another goal even higher. I actually want to forget about being the world champion. I'm working on consistency, so one win is not really a thing. Of course, nobody can peak all the time, or win all the time." Loh left his friends and family at the tender age of 13 to enrol in the Singapore Sports School. He then decided to focus on badminton full-time against the wishes of society realising that his destiny lies in unlocking his full potential. 

 

Loh Kean Yew On Inspiring a Younger Generation

Loh Kean Yew wants to grab a medal at the Olympics and earn a spot atop the world rankings. Alongside his ongoing efforts to achieve his dreams, he has also found purpose in inspiring a younger generation and spreading awareness about badminton as a potential career option.

"I hope to open up the path in some way and that eventually, more people will take up sports and there will be more support for it," said the 24-year-old Singaporean shuttler. After learning that his World Championships win was devoid of a cash prize, Loh still chooses to look at the brighter side. He cherishes the title solely because of how much it means to the sporting community.

So when the young shuttler was asked about a group of people who recently rallied to raise more than $350,000 for him as compensation for the World Championship debacle, he said, "It's a great thing - not for the monetary aspect of it, but for the awareness and support that people have for the sport. I hope we can be a sporting nation. Even though we're so small, I don't think it's impossible. It's all about that personal hunger." His resilience and maturity are perhaps what also enhance his professional greatness.