Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min finds inspiration in win over refugee athlete at Paris 2024
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Singapore's Yeo Jia Min in action against Dorsa Yavarivafa of the Olympic Refugee team in the badminton women's singles Group I.
PHOTO: AFP
PARIS – Despite the gulf in their world rankings – world No. 20 and No. 1,001 – there were moments on July 27 when Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min felt like the underdog in her Olympic badminton Group I opener against Dorsa Yavarivafa.
Competing in front of an 8,000-capacity crowd at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena, the Iran-born player, who is competing under the Refugee Olympic Team flag, received the loudest cheers and support from the fans.
Not that Yeo minded. While she found a purple patch to match the venue’s colour theme for a comfortable 21-7, 21-8 win, she said modestly that she has much to learn from her unheralded opponent.
The 25-year-old, who had her parents and boyfriend, former national swimmer Pang Sheng Jun, supporting her in the stands, said: “I really respect these players who come from backgrounds that are not so conducive for their sport... she still kept her dream, and making it to the Olympics must have been massive for her.
“Players like her don’t have a whole system set up for them... they count on their own determination to make things happen and this is something we can learn from.
“I can still do better in a few areas to be sharper, not distracted by the environment, and play each point more confidently.
“But I’m happy with today’s result, and winning the next match will take me one step closer to my goal... It will be sweet to progress to the next round... but my aim is to get a medal here and I’m sticking to that belief.”
Yeo will next face Mauritius’ 94th-ranked Kate Foo Kune, and a win would seal her first appearance in the Olympics’ knockout rounds.
Yeo Jia Min in action on July 27.
A beaming Yavarivafa was just happy to be able to play on the sport’s biggest stage, as the former swimmer and basketballer continues to chase her badminton dreams.
Her delight at her Paris debut was a stark contrast to the tears she shed when she and her mother fled Tehran with fake German passports in 2018. They were forced to move because her mother wanted to convert her religion, which resulted in Yavarivafa being shunned by the national team.
After flying to Turkey, Germany, Belgium and France, Yavarivafa was jailed three times before they reached England, where they eventually settled in Birmingham. She was later admitted to the Refugee Athlete Scholarship programme.
Now a sports and exercise science undergraduate at Middlesex University, she is “so honoured” to be one of 37 athletes representing over 100 million refugees worldwide at these Olympics.
Overjoyed to have her parents watch her play in person, the 20-year-old said: “It was so amazing. The crowd was so supportive, I loved it. My coach told me to take deep breaths to remain calm, and I was also listening to a Persian song with the message to never give up.”
Asked for her message to other refugees, she said: “You are not alone... It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter where you are living now, dreams can come true.”
Yeo Jia Min will next face Mauritius’ 94th-ranked Kate Foo Kune.
Singapore’s mixed doubles players Terry Hee and Jessica Tan will also have to keep the faith as the world No. 17 pair’s hopes of making it to the quarter-finals hang by a thread, after they lost 23-21, 21-12 to Malaysia’s ninth-ranked Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei in their Group D opener.
They will play China’s world No. 2 Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping on July 28, and world No. 30 Americans Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai after. The Commonwealth Games champions have to beat both pairs to stand a good chance of advancing.
In their Olympic debut, Hee and Tan got off to a strong start, leading 11-8 before saving four game points in the first game, but anxiety and unforced errors crept in as the match slipped from their grasp.
Mixed doubles players Terry Hee and Jessica Tan in action on July 27.
Hee’s parents, elder brother, sister-in-law and nine-month-old niece had braved the 14-hour flight and morning drizzle to support the married couple. He said: “The first game was close, and our strategy of staying patient and not rushing the rallies worked well... We played some good points and winners.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t convert our game point and that affected us quite a bit in the second game while giving our opponents more confidence.”
Tan added: “The Olympics feels like a different ball game. It’s easy to say we are underdogs and have nothing to lose, but every match is so important. We need to find a balance and our A game tomorrow.”
Teammate and former world champion Loh Kean Yew kicks off his Olympic campaign with a Group M opener against the Czech Republic’s Jan Louda on July 28.
