Badminton Player Yeo Jia Min Makes History As First Singaporean To Reach The Olympics Knockout Rounds Since 2012

By Allison Kong on 31 Jul 2024

Homegrown shuttler Yeo Jia Min has made history as the first Singaporean badminton player to reach the Olympics knockout stages since 2012! On 30 July 2024, she secured her spot by defeating Mauritius' Kate Foo Kune with scores of 21-12 and 21-6 in her second Group I match. Earlier, she had already won against Iran's Dorsa Yavarivafa.

Photo from Singapore National Olympic Council

Photo from AFP

Ranked 20th in the world, Yeo Jia Min topped Group I with her impressive wins. Now, she’s gearing up for a tough Round of 16 showdown against Japan’s Aya Ohori, ranked 10th. Yeo has faced Ohori three times before and hasn’t managed a win yet, but she’s keeping her spirits high. Their most recent match was at the Asia Championships in February, where Yeo lost 21-12, 21-12.

Before Yeo, Gu Juan was the last Singaporean shuttler to make it to the Olympics knockout rounds, reaching the Round of 16 in London 2012 before falling to Taiwan’s Cheng Shao-chieh.

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After her match, Yeo couldn’t hide her excitement and confidence, saying that anything can happen in the upcoming rounds. She’s ready to go all out and play with no regrets. Reflecting on her journey, Yeo shared how much she’s grown, especially through her recovery from injuries, and how much she values the experience.

Men's singles & mixed doubles

In men’s singles, Loh Kean Yew, ranked 13th in the world, will face off against El Salvador’s Uriel Canjura, who’s ranked 50th, on 31 July. If he wins, he’ll top Group M and could face China’s Li Shifeng, ranked 6th, in the Round of 16.

Photo from Kong Chong Yew/ SNOC

On a sad note, Singapore’s mixed doubles team, Terry Hee and Jessica Tan, got knocked out on 29 July 2024. They finished third in Group D, and only the top two teams from each group advanced to the quarter-finals.

Photo from Jeremy Lee/SportsSG