Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min suffers agonising Olympics badminton last-16 exit but looks to LA 2028
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Singaporean shuttler Yeo Jia Min reacts during her match against Aya Ohori of Japan.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
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PARIS – She lifted her collar over her face and sobbed at the media mixed zone.
Just moments earlier, Singapore badminton player Yeo Jia Min was involved in a heart-stopping and heart-rending 11-21, 21-14, 24-22 defeat by Japan’s world No. 10 Aya Ohori.
In the delicately poised Paris 2024 Olympics women’s singles round-of-16 match on Aug 1, Yeo took her opponent, whom she had never taken a game off in three previous attempts, to a dramatic decider.
After 55 minutes of rallies and unforced errors, it all came down to a 26-stroke exchange that ended when she hit the shuttlecock wide and both players simultaneously collapsed on the Porte de la Chapelle Arena floor.
After three years of preparation and thousands of hours of training, it all came down to who could hold her nerve better.
Something had to give, and it was Yeo.
The 25-year-old fought back from 3-0 and 15-13 down in the decider to earn a match point.
But she could not convert it and Ohori did not give her another chance, even if the 27-year-old required three match points of her own to set up a quarter-final clash against Spain’s world No. 4 and Rio 2016 champion Carolina Marin.
“I’m very disappointed and sad that I couldn’t claim the win for Singapore today. I wanted it too much, and I couldn’t control my emotions and stay calm at the end,” said Yeo, whose Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 ended with a group-stage exit.
This time, the world No. 20 felt a medal was within reach.
She said: “I always go out on court believing I can win. This time, I was in better shape and my injuries were not holding me back. I was able to move normally, so I knew I had a chance to win.”
Singaporean shuttler Yeo Jia Min is distraught after losing to Aya Ohori of Japan in their Olympic last-16 tie.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
After the tears, there was a quiet defiance, as she added: “If all things go smoothly, I’ll go for another one.”
Despite the elimination, national singles coach Kelvin Ho felt that Yeo has made strides in the last few years.
He said: “In terms of style of play, strategy, pace and variation, she did all we asked of her at these Olympics. Jia Min has definitely matured but she can still improve on handling tense situations better.”
Ohori also paid tribute to Yeo for pushing her to her limit and shared that a glance at her father in the stands did the trick.
She said: “I wanted to win so badly, I thought only about the win and not about how to play each point. I went stiff and felt like I couldn’t even hold my racket. I saw my father at the start of the second game. He came near our court and told me to just play as I always do. That helped me a lot.”
In the other women’s singles quarter-finals, South Korea’s world No. 1 and world champion An Se-young will play Japan’s sixth-ranked Akane Yamaguchi, while defending champion and world No. 2 Chen Yufei will meet ninth-ranked He Bingjiao in an all-China match-up. Indonesia’s Gregoria Tunjung (No. 8) will face Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon (No. 21).
On Aug 2, China’s world No. 1 pair Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong clinched the mixed doubles title with a 21-8, 21-11 win over South Korea’s eighth-ranked Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun.
After winning gold, Huang accepted a surprise wedding proposal by her boyfriend, national teammate and men’s doubles player Liu Yuchen at the venue. “I think the ring fits,” said a beaming Huang.
