Singapore badminton players Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jia Min aim ...

SINGAPORE – In his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew was an unfancied outsider and the 42nd-ranked player was eventually knocked out in the group stage.

This time, he returns to badminton’s biggest stage a different player as world No. 12, with a world championship title and three BWF World Tour wins under his belt.

And at the Paris Games, he and teammate Yeo Jia Min will be looking to make a big smash after securing their second Olympic appearance. They are among 70 players – 35 each for the men and women’s singles events – who have qualified for the July 26-Aug 11 Olympics through the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) Race to Paris ranking list on April 30.

Loh, 26, said: “I was an underdog and I liked that feeling of trying to beat higher-ranked players.

“Now, after winning the world title, others are more motivated to beat me. I have been trying to get used to this feeling, I’m more experienced than before, and I hope I can win a medal at the Olympics.

“I still want to be the first Singaporean badminton player to achieve that, and I believe anything can happen in the Olympics.”

Likewise, Yeo has improved from 30th to 19th in the world rankings with wins over top-10 players – South Korea’s No. 1 An Se-young, China’s No. 7 Han Yue and Indonesia’s No. 9 Gregoria Tunjung – in 2024. They have boosted her confidence that she can advance past the group stage for the first time.

The 25-year-old said: “I’m beyond excited to take part in the Olympics this year. I think it will be quite a different experience compared to the Tokyo Olympics during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I believe in my abilities more now compared to then. I’ve been working to be more efficient and effective in my movement and strokes.

“My goal is to bring back a medal for Singapore... I will prepare myself to take up the challenge.”

Their work continues even after earning their ticket to Paris. While Loh and Yeo are 12th and 14th in their respective Race to Paris rankings, the Olympic seedings will be determined by the ranking list on July 9.

Depending on the number of entries – each singles event could feature 38 to 50 players – there could be 12 to 16 seeds.

As such, they still need to play through pain – Loh is nursing a swollen right shoulder while Yeo is recovering from a right Achilles injury – in up to eight World Tour tournaments before Paris 2024.

These include a hectic Asian swing that comprises the May 28-June 2 KFF Singapore Open and stops in Thailand (May 14-19), Malaysia (May 21-26) and Indonesia (June 4-9).

National singles head coach Kelvin Ho said: “We are having constant discussions with Sport Singapore physiotherapists on how to manage the training and competition load, and how to find a way to adapt and play in a way to minimise the pain.

“The main objective between now and the Olympics would be to stay healthy and do well in the remaining World Tour events to achieve a good seeding position for Paris 2024.”