SINGAPORE – A figure of concentration on court, Singapore badminton star Loh Kean Yew admitted that he was a bundle of nerves after the 25-year-old beat former pool world No. 1 Aloysius Yapp to win his maiden Sportsman of the Year award on Thursday at the Singapore Sports Awards.

Loh’s latest win came just two days after he broke into the top three in the world rankings for the first time in his career.

Despite the visible jitters after he received a trophy and a cheque for $10,000 on stage at the Marina Bay Sands Orchid Ballroom, Loh’s attention immediately shifted to thanking his parents who were in attendance. 

And when speaking to the media after the ceremony, he once again paid tribute to mother Grace Gan, 58, and father Loh Pin Keat, 60. 

“When I started (playing) badminton, it was not easy for them to support me and my brother (Kean Hean) together to go for training because we were not well off,” said Loh, who was born in Penang.

“They took us to practice and would wait because I used to train till 12am. One of the most important sacrifices they made was to send us to Singapore. I can’t imagine what they went through every day with their children being away from them. That is one of the biggest sacrifices – not being able to spend time with us.” 

So it was only fitting that when Loh – only the second badminton player to be named Sportsman of the Year after Ronald Susilo in 2005 – was asked how he would celebrate, he said he would do so by spending time with his parents.

In December 2021, Loh became the first Singaporean to win the BWF World Championships. Before that historic triumph, he had also won the Dutch Open in October and Germany’s Hylo Open a month later.

In April, he was also crowned the ST Athlete of the Year 2021.

Up next for Loh is the Nov 15-20 Australian Open, where he just needs to beat India’s Mithun Manjunath in the first round to seal his spot at the prestigious season-ending World Tour Finals.

Meanwhile, table tennis player Yu Mengyu, 33, won the Sportswoman of the Year award over fencer Amita Berthier and bowler Shayna Ng. She also received a trophy and a $10,000 cheque.  

Yu, a first-time winner, had won plaudits at the Tokyo Games in 2021 after fighting through an injury in the semi-final against China’s eventual gold medallist Chen Meng, before losing to Japan’s Mima Ito in the third-place playoff. 

She announced her retirement in March to take up a role as an assistant coach for the Singapore Table Tennis Association’s junior development squad for high-potential athletes aged nine to 12.

Yu is already eyeing another gong at future editions of the SSA. She said: “This is my last award as an athlete. As a coach, I hope I can pass on my experiences to the youngsters. I hope I can win the Coach of the Year award in the future. Sports is not just about winning, it is also about inspiring others. Every athlete who gives their best is a hero.” 

The annual event, which was organised by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and Sport Singapore and supported by the Tote Board, honours national athletes and coaches for their performances and achievements. It was making its return after a one-year hiatus as a result of the pandemic.

There were eight main awards presented by SNOC president Tan Chuan-Jin, Tote Board chief executive Fong Yong Kian and Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth and Social and Family Development. 

Singapore Bowling Federation national head coach Jason Yeong-Nathan bagged the Coach of the Year award, while the men’s bowling team of Cheah Ray Han, Darren Ong, Jonovan Neo and Jomond Chia were Team of the Year.

Table tennis player Ser Lin Qian was named Sportsgirl of the Year while kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder was Sportsboy of the Year.

The Straits Times was also a winner – assistant sports editor Rohit Brijnath won the Most Inspiring Sport Story of the Year for his piece “The best but most unsparing teacher in sport: Losing”.

Singapore Sports Awards winners

Sportsman of the Year: Loh Kean Yew (badminton)

Sportswoman of the Year: Yu Mengyu (table tennis)

Sportsboy of the Year: Maximilian Maeder (sailing)

Sportsgirl of the Year: Ser Lin Qian (table tennis)

Coach of the Year: Jason Yeong-Nathan (bowling)

Team of the Year (Event): Bowling men’s team (Cheah Ray Han, Darren Ong, Jonovan Neo and Jomond Chia)