Singaporean badminton player Loh Kean Yew on the highs and lows of his career so far

After a career-defining year, the athlete gets real about what it takes when one plays to be the best

Loh Kean Yew is having a moment. In November last year, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) ranked Loh number three in the world—a year earlier, he was 40th on the list. That same month, the Penang-born Singaporean badminton star was named Sportsman of the Year at the Singapore Sports Awards 2022—a title previously won by the likes of Olympic gold medallist swimmer Joseph Schooling and billiards champion Peter Gilchrist.

Then, in December, Loh made his debut at the 2022 BWF World Tour Finals in Bangkok, making him the first Singapore men’s player to qualify for the annual season-ending tournament. Though he ultimately lost to Indonesian player Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, rather than feeling discouraged, Loh says he is more motivated than ever. “I’m still an underdog; there are a lot of people who are better than me,” he says. “I’m taking every match as a learning experience.”

Above Loh Kean Yew on the January 2023 issue of Tatler Singapore

Despite the 25-year-old’s meteoric rise, Loh has not forgotten where he came from. Growing up in Penang, he began playing badminton when he was four with his elder brother Loh Kean Hean, using the gate at the front of their family house as a net. Kean Hean is currently also a professional shuttler, playing for Singapore in the men’s doubles category. “I look up to him and learnt a lot from him. I always wanted to be better than him; that was my goal and I guess I did it,” Loh quips, adding that his brother had always been his “goal and aspiration”.

The support and encouragement from his family have been integral to Loh’s journey. Speaking with the press after receiving the Sportsman of the Year award, Loh said: “When I started [playing] badminton, it was not easy for [my parents] to support me and my brother because we were not well off. They took us to practice and would wait because I used to train till [midnight].”

At age nine, Loh joined the Penang state team. Then, at 12, he won his first tournament, bringing home Malaysia’s 2009 National Junior Grand Prix Under-12 title. That same year, he was awarded a full scholarship to the Singapore Sports School and, at just 13 years old and with his parents’ blessing, he left home to take on the Lion City. Speaking with CNA in a 2021 interview, Loh’s mother, Grace Gan, said: “We were not rich enough to send our children overseas to study [without the scholarships]. In fact, we always told them, you have to depend on yourself [for everything]. Opportunity only comes once. If you don’t grab it, it will be gone.”

After graduating, Loh studied sports and leisure management at Republic Polytechnic, but that was short-lived—the then-18-year-old soon decided to drop out and go pro. His dreams were temporarily put on hold when he was called upon to do national service, during which he faced the challenge of juggling its commitments with his badminton training. After completing the mandatory two years’ service, Loh reflected on this time in his life in a 2018 Facebook post, writing: “I did learn a lot during this [sic] two years, be it in life, badminton or other aspects. But it doesn’t change the fact that it affected my career.”

The determined young athlete wasted no time in bouncing back, however. In 2019, Loh took home the men’s singles silver medal at the Southeast Asian Games and won his first National Championships title at the Singaporean National Badminton Championships. Not long after, he reached the apex achievement of any athlete’s career, qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which took place in 2021. “It was my first Olympic [games] and I was the flag bearer for Singapore,” Loh recalls. “I’m always honoured and grateful to carry the Singapore flag on my back.” Then, in December that same year, the then-unseeded Loh became the first Singaporean badminton player to win the BWF World Championships title.

Above Loh wears a Bottega Veneta coat, blazer, top, trousers, and boots; Li‑Ning shuttlecocks

THE QUEST TO BE BEST

Beyond the pride of representing the country he calls home, his achievements thus far are a testament to a lifetime of hard work and dedication. When asked what his schedule looks like, Loh fires off his routine: “Practise, rest, practise, eat, do laundry, analyse games, repeat. Maybe hang out with friends before I fly to the next tournament.”

It might sound repetitive and mundane, but it is discipline and consistency that have slowly, steadily carried Loh to the top, where he continues to break personal and world records. “Being an athlete is quite different from people who’ve taken a more conventional route of going to school and getting a job; it’s a very different life,” he says. “We learn discipline, perseverance and management a lot earlier [in life]. We always have to push ourselves to the limit.”

Above Loh wears a Fendi pullover

Above Loh wears a Moncler Fragment-Hiroshi Fujiwara jacket

At his photo shoot for Tatler Singapore, Loh was a natural in front of the camera, thanks to his athletic confidence and affable demeanour. Today, his life is worlds away from his humble beginnings. The professional athlete trains full time, has sponsorship deals with major companies such as Singapore Airlines, Seiko and Grab, and enjoys something of a jetset lifestyle. “It was always on my bucket list to travel the world. I hope to visit as many places as I can,” says Loh, whose career has taken him to destinations including Dubai, Australia, Denmark, Spain and Thailand—although he looks forward to coming home and enjoying a good bowl of mee pok.

With his star on the rise, Loh has made quite the name for himself as a hometown hero, particularly among aspiring Singapore athletes. “I always tell them that they have to dare to dream and dare to work for it,” he says. “If you work hard but without any direction or goal, it’s easy to lose motivation.”

And what motivates Loh? It is the people around him. “My loved ones sacrificed a lot for me. I am who I am today because of everything I’ve been through, all my experiences, and all of the people that I’ve worked with and talked to. There are many things that have happened in my life and many people I’ve met. Whatever they have been through with me has taught me a lesson: at the highest level, it’s not possible to walk alone.”